Gensoukyo Shorts
by Iced Fairy
Summary: Short stories made for a weekly writing contest. This time: A parable
1. Medicine

I've been busy with many projects recently but unfortunately one turned out very weak, and the other is a Visual Novel and thus not something to be released in chapter format. However I've been keeping my hand in the game by entering myself in a semi-weekly writing contest, so I've actually got a number of short stories. I've decided to pretty up the better ones and place them here. They're a little less cohesive then my other stories, but I'm fond of a lot of them all the same.

* * *

"What!" Reisen found herself staring at her master in shock.

"Sorry, was I not clear? I want you to run the clinic for today." Eirin said with a light smile. "This is the next logical step in your apprenticeship."

"But today's when you go to the human village isn't it? I've never done that with you, much less solo! I was always out selling medicine while you did the doctor's work." Reisen knew her pleading was futile, but she had to try.

"Exactly. You have all the knowledge you need. You just need experience. And that is best gained in real world situations." Eirin continued, "Having me as a security blanket would only cause you to second guess yourself. Only practicing on your own can you perfect the medical arts."

Reisen's face fell. She was stuck.

"Don't worry too much though. I've sent Tewi to help you. She'll be your nurse assistant."

Reisen buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

* * *

Reisen had recovered most of her composure by the time she reached the building that housed Eientei's temporary clinic. She unlocked the door and began setting up for the days work.

Tewi was nowhere to be seen. She wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a very, very bad sign.

Still there was much Reisen could do about that. She made sure all the supplies were in their proper places, then grabbed the the doctors coat from the hanger.

After a moments hesitation she grabbed the glasses and put them on as well. Eirin claimed they were to keep her from accidentally driving patients insane. Reisen had a suspicion her master just had a meganekko fetish. Still she knew if she didn't wear them, somehow, Eirin would know.

Reisen was just about ready to open up when someone knocked on the door.

"Just a second!" Reisen quickly flipped the sign in the one window to 'Open' then opened the front door.

However, instead of a patient there was a large doll in a nurses outfit instead.

"Hi!" Medicine exclaimed happily while skipping into the office. "I'm here to fill in for the other rabbit!"

Reisen looked down at the poison doll youkai. "So how'd she'd rope you into this?"

"She promised to pay me ten times her salary!"

Reisen sighed and shook her head. "We don't pay her."

Medicine's smile didn't waver. "Yep! I guessed that. But I figured I could steal what was in the petty cash drawer while I was here!"

Reisen gave the doll youkai a long look. They grow up so fast these days. "All right, fair enough. Just remember you can't poison any of the patients, okay."

"Okay!" There was a pause. "What am I supposed to be doing anyway?"

Reisen considered the matter for a moment. "Do you have any medical training?"

"Nope!" the doll cheerily replied.

Reisen pointed to the front desk. "Then stand there and look pretty."

"I'm good at that! I did that all the time when I was a doll." Medicine nodded and rushed over to her appointed spot. "I didn't realize I had experience at this job. This'll be great!"

The early morning hours weren't that bad. A couple of broken bones and a few colds. Nothing that Reisen hadn't dealt with while selling medicine. Medicine had acted cute, and barring the one recruitment incident, had been generally more helpful then Tewi.

Sadly the simple times were not to last.

* * *

11:45 AM

"So these aches and pains seem purely random?" Reisen asked, trying to ignore the dark morass floating above the patient's head. Most people couldn't see it, but Reisen's eyes could pick up the strange wavelengths of the grudge.

"Yeah. They just seem to come outta nowhere." The dark cloud snapped at an arm and the woman began rubbing the spot.

Reisen sighed internally. This idiot had managed to get herself cursed. The shrine maiden should deal with this, not her. Still she had to go through the motions. "Let me take your temperature."

As Reisen went through the motions of searching for the 'illness' the curse swirled around more and more. It began to hiss laughter at her and strike just when it would be most inconvenient for the current test.

When it got to forming obscene imagery in the haze Reisen's patience snapped. "Very well. After a careful examination, I've decided you need laser eye surgery."

The woman look at her in confusion. "What? But there's nothing wrong with my eyes."

Reisen took off her glasses. "I meant surgery with laser eyes." A concentrated blast of raw power sent the curse slamming into a wall, where it solidified into a proto youkai like morass. "Medicine, that's not a patient."

Medicine waved her hands towards it. "Gotcha boss! One dose of poison coming up!"

As the curse burbled and dissolved into nothingness Reisen turned towards the stunned patient. "That'll be 24 ryo please."

* * *

2:38

Reisen put down the stethoscope and finished a few notes. "I'm afraid that we can't do anything for your condition sir."

The farmer started slightly in shock. "What! Why not?"

Riesen sighed. "Because you are dead. You have no pulse, your temperature is negative 6 degrees and you lack a physical body. You are a ghost. No amount of medicine can help you there."

The man's face twisted into an inhuman mask of rage. "How dare you say such things! All I want is some stitches for this cut! "

Reisen took a deep breath before continuing. "That's not a cut. That's a hole. Specifically the one the kama placed in your chest. The one that killed you!"

"I'm not dead!" The man stubbornly insisted.

"You aren't breathing!"

"It's just subtle."

"You have no feet!"

"It's a genetic condition." The ghost swung his fist through the desk. "I'm tired of this runaround. I demand a second opinion!"

Reisen snarled. She was very tempted to just blast him. Fortunately the sight of Medicine giggling in the background at the mans stupidity kept her from giving into her violent impulses.

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. After a bit she opened her eyes. "Fine. I'll refer you to a competitor." Reisen grabbed a sheet of paper and scribbled down an address before handing it to the man.

"Hmph. Serves you right." The man peered at the note. "Where is 'wherever that lazy bum decided to slack off today?'"

"By the Sanzu River I believe."

"Well, we'll see what Dr Onozuka has to say." The man floated off through the door.

"Goodbye forever!" Medicine called after him.

"And good riddance." Reisen muttered.

* * *

4:57

It had been all quiet for the past few hours. Medicine had taken to drawing flower pictures with the crayons in the lobby. Reisen had considered telling her it was unprofessional, but then decided the patients deserved the warning.

The quiet was disturbed by the sound of voices arguing outside the door. The two youkai had just enough time to stand up and adjust their uniforms before the door opened, revealing a small family. The young man in the middle seemed to be alternating between cringing in pain and telling his relatives he would be fine.

Reisen adjusted her glasses and waved them to the examining table. "Help him here please."

"Thank you doctor," the lady of the family said before turning to rejoin the argument. Reisen guessed from the way the woman kept getting distracted by Reisen's ears that she was originally an outsider. That was probably for the best, since outsiders seemed to put more faith in modern medicine.

The lunar rabbit grabbed a few instruments from the wall and scribbled some quick notes before interrupting the conversation. "So what seems to be the problem."

"I'm fine." The man protested. "I just have some stomach cramps, that's all. It'll go away soon."

The woman frowned and turned to Reisen. "He's been having serious abdominal pain for several days now."

Reisen nodded then poked the man in the side. He crumpled before swearing violently at the pain. "Hm... I'll need to perform another test. Could everyone in the room be silent for a little while?"

It took some doing but eventually the patient and all the various relatives quieted down. Reisen took off her glasses and began to focus. Her ears twitched as the ultrasound waves she was creating did their work.

"You were right to bring him to me. He's suffering from advanced appendicitis. I'll need to operate immediately." Reisen opened up the doors to the operating room. "Medicine, can you create Ether?"

Medicine jumped up and ran into the room. "You betcha! Lemme guess, you want me to prove how good I am by just keeping the human unconscious right?"

"Exactly." Reisen grabbed her gloves and a scalpel. "Alright, begin administering anesthetic."

After a moment Reisen added, "That means poison him now."

"Right!"

* * *

Reisen didn't know exactly how many hours passed while she worked. She'd never done this before, but the knowledge seemed to come to her easily. Perhaps her master had been right, perhaps she needed this trial by fire.

Finally she put in the last stitches. "Okay. That's it."

Medicine nodded. "Okay. Should I leave him unconscious for a little longer?"

Reisen nodded. "You've got it." She then walked out to the family. "He should be fine now. He'll need to avoid strenuous work for two weeks, and take one of these each every morning." Reisen placed two pill bottles on the front desk. "The stitches will dissolve when they're no longer needed."

"Thank you so much," the woman who had dragged the patient in said. She looked at the bottles. "So this one is for pain and this one is for antibiotic... Wait this one says it can just heal the appendix without invasive surgery!"

Reisen nodded as she cleaned off her glasses. "Yes, but I've never had the chance to perform surgery on a human before, so I figured I'd give it a shot anyway."

The woman looked at her with shock. "Haven't you heard of the Hippocratic oath!"

Reisen thought about it for a moment. "Oh right. That. Eirin tried to have me take it once, but she couldn't get past 'First do no harm' without bursting into laughter." She shook her head. "Anyway that'll be 35 Ryo please."

The family seemed to still be speechless.

At this point Medicine decided to carry in the patient in her bloodstained nurse outfit. "Here you go. He'll be awake in an hour."

The woman looked at the two youkai, tossed the coins on the counter, and with the help of her family grabbed the patient and left.

Reisen sighed and took off her coat. "Well that's it for today. Come on, let's finish up work."

Medicine tried to wipe the blood of her outfit with little success. "Aren't we done? What more is there to do?"

* * *

"The most important part. Drinking after the job."

"Alcohol is the best poison ever!" Medicine said in a slurred voice as she placed her glass down. "Well second best," she amended after a thought.

"Alright, I think you've had enough," Mystia stated, taking away the glass. "And don't try pouting at me. It loses all it's effectiveness when you're covered in blood."

Reisen put her cup in front of the doll youkai. "It's okay. You can help me finish off mine." As Medicine happily finished off the glass she stretched. "You did real good today. If you ever want to help out again just drop by. I'll teach you how you're actually supposed to do things."

Medicine thought about it a bit. "Hm... So what did I do wrong?"

"Well the big one would be not getting a clean uniform after the surgery. You aren't supposed to be splattered with blood."

"Oh. That makes sense." Medicine began unbuttoning the nurse outfit.

Reisen blinked for a moment before moving to catch Medicines hands. "Woah! Hold on. You aren't just a doll anymore, you can't just change clothes in public!"

Then there was a bright flash of light, along with a terrifying click. A sound feared throughout Gensoukyo. The sound of a camera.

Reisen was chasing after the culprit within seconds. She already knew who was responsible. "TEWI!"

Medicine took a little longer to recover before chasing after herself. "Hey, that looks like fun!"

Alone now, Mystia simply sighed and recovered the dishes. And people wondered why she demanded payment in advance.

* * *

"Master I'm telling you, that picture of Tewi's is completely out of context!"

"Don't worry. I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to review your performance." Eirin's smile did little to assuage Reisen's worries.

"Can I take off the glasses for this?"

"No. Anyway, let's see..." Eirin continued, picking up a notepad. "There were no critical mistakes in your medical performance. However you need to work on your personal interactions with the patients. You get frustrated far too easily."

Reisen's ears twitched. "I'll keep that in mind master."

Eirin put down the notepad. "You made a few small mistakes during surgery that we'll go over later, but for now we'll concentrate on the training I forgot to give you."

Reisen looked at her in confusion. "What training is that?"

Eirin stood up slowly. "When seducing your assistant it's best to pick a secluded area and have a solid work related excuse. I personally tend to use 'performance evaluations...'"


	2. Festival

Thanks to everyone who read and again to all the people who reviewed. This next one is another humorous story, though I could see this actually happening...

* * *

Reimu spared a glance at the intruder into her peaceful afternoon. "You know, I have duties here as well. What makes you think I can go running off to help you on such short notice?"

Sanae bowed deeply in supplication. "Please Reimu! I'll help out at your next festival. I'll clean your shrine for a week! Just help me out here!"

The red white miko sighed. "Alright. I'll accept." She held up her hand to cut off Sanae's happy cheer. "If, and only if, you explain why this is such a big deal. I know you can handle a festival without me."

Sanae winced. "Well, it's because this festival is the one commemorating Lady Kanako's victory over Lady Suwako."

"Huh?" Reimu looked over at Sanae in surprise. Then she chuckled. "Oh that's great. But why is this a problem now?"

"Well before we moved to Gensoukyo Lady Suwako was mainly just keeping the curse gods suppressed, and that didn't require much effort outside the border. She didn't deal with day to day events much. But now they've both started to get more active..."

Reimu nodded. "Right. I see. So you want me to come along and be a restraining influence."

Sanae smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. They wouldn't want to show disunity in front of you, since you have a branch shrine."

"And I'm working for the competition," Reimu added with a smirk. "Well in this case I can help you."

"Thank you so much," Sanae bowed deeply to the other shrine maiden. "With you there things should work out."

Reimu shrugged. "Eh, I think you're worrying too much anyway. They've dealt with this for a long time. I honestly don't think there'd be a problem unless someone was trying to stir things up."

* * *

"Halt and state your business," stated the Wolf Tengu.

"Me? Just waiting for the declaration invincibility to end so we can bomb you out of the way," replied Reimu.

Sanae gave the miko a glare before turning to Momiji. "She's here to help with the festival. Come on Momiji. You know me. Do we have to go through this every time?"

Momiji nodded. "Yes."

Sanae sighed, and after a few seconds Momiji echoed it. "Look Sanae, we can't just let you gods tell us who can and can't enter the mountain. I'll let it pass, but you have to clear this stuff with the Great Tengu for a reason. We're the rulers of the mountain, not your subjects."

"Is it really that important?" Sanae asked.

Momiji nodded. "Yes. Yes it is." After a few moments however her expression softened and she shrugged. "But there's a festival tonight so go ahead. We'll be officially dropping picket duty tonight anyway, so everyone else can come."

Sanae nodded, "Thank you."

Reimu started flying further up the mountain. "Yeah, thanks. Anyway let's go get started on our jobs."

As the two flew off Momiji called out, "I'll see you two at the festival."

Reimu gave the green miko a sidelong glance. "It seems you're fitting in better then before. Momiji seems to be much nicer to you then she is normally."

Sanae blushed, "I hope so. It's still a little confusing here with all the odd rules. Still it would be nice to be seen as a friend instead of as an ambassador of a dangerous foreign power."

Reimu shrugged. "No clue if that'll happen in our lifetimes. But so long as you have some friends it should be okay right?"

"I suppose so..."

* * *

Hatate smiled as she snapped off a few photos of one of the more impressive wipe outs on the onbashira. It was too bad this festival only happened every six years. There was a whole lot to see.

Unfortunately, she'd have to spend a lot more of that time doing her work instead of wandering the festival. In the past she'd have just just played around like the second rate tengu journalists did, and then used spirit photography later to get her info for the articles. But with Aya as her rival that just wouldn't cut it. She'd have to be in the middle of things, stirring up trouble if necessary.

Still, she thought to herself, she could spend a lot of time personally inspecting the vendors and games. For example the takoyaki at this stall was grade A. She took a quick picture of the bird youkai cooking the treats then moved on down the lane of booths.

There were a lot more of the youkai from below the mountain here too. The shrine kassha and the shikigami kitten seemed to be having a contest as to who could catch (and eat) the most goldfish. She snapped a quick pic of that. Then another pic of the gap youkai and the flower youkai being very dangerously polite to each other.

As Hatate walked away from where she'd just done an investigative review of cotton candy, something caught her eye. What looked like a young girl was walking through the booths alone. Most people would probably just guess she was some random minor youkai and overlook her. But Hatate knew better then that. She moved through the crowd to the girl and took a quick snapshot.

"So Lady Suwako, any reason you're wandering this festival in disguise?" the tengu asked quietly.

Suwako jumped in surprise, then turned to stare at the reporter. Finally she shrugged in acceptance and waved the reporter over to some quieter benches. When they could hear clearly the goddess responded, "Who says I was hiding? It's not like leaving behind my hat is some ultimate disguise."

Hatate smiled while punching in notes on the camera's keypad. "Suuure it isn't. That's why no one but me recognized you, right? But that's not important." The Tengu looked around briefly before continuing, "I'm actually interested in an exclusive with you."

Suwako's eyes narrowed. "About what?"

Hatate waved her hand around at the festival. "Well this is such a sweet party, but there's all this history stuff attached to it as well. So I figured it'd be awesome to get the other side of the story. The Great Suwa War from Lady Suwako's POV right?"

Suwako sat and considered it. "You're actually trying to get me all riled up at Kanako so you'll have an incident to cover aren't you?" Hatate blanched then tried to look innocent. "That's okay I guess, if only because it won't work. And it would be nice to tell my story again." The frog goddess pointed up at her interviewer. "I'll do it if you get me some shaved ice. Strawberry flavor!"

Hatate whirled around to head back to the vendors. It was still a better story then nothing. "'Kay! One strawberry ice ASAP."

* * *

Kanako smirked at the frantically scribbling Tengu. "But why a sudden interest today Miss Shameimaru?"

Aya smiled easily. "Because of the festival of course! It's the biggest one in Gensoukyo for some time. Even Suika Ibuki didn't draw in this many people during her incident. You've got unique events, a full crowd of booths and even a full fireworks display created by the black white witch herself. With all that excitement, it seems only fitting to have a proper retrospective on the reason for the days events."

"Hmmm? Are you sure that's it?" Kanako asked.

Well that and I figure getting you in a bragging mode increases the chances of you annoying Suwako and something fun happening, but you don't need to know that, thought Aya.

Out loud she said, "Of course."

The goddess smiled knowingly. "Well alright then. I'm glad I was able to help you."

At this point a rather frazzled looking Marisa poked her head into the room. "Hey, you on soon? It's taking all my spare time and some help from two mikos to keep the Kappa from busting open my fireworks to inspect them."

Kanako nodded. "I'll begin the official festivities right now. That should distract most of them." She nodded to Aya. "If you'll excuse me..."

"No problem Lady Kanako," Aya said before flying out to get a good spot to watch the festivities. The drinking hadn't started in earnest yet, so Aya still considered herself on the job. She wasn't going to let that young fledgling one up her.

It looked like Marisa had been telling the truth about the kappa messing with the fireworks. Reimu was lecturing two younger ones right now. Aya idly wondered how Sanae had persuaded the other miko to help here. Something to look up later.

Scanning the crowd she found the newcomers from the temple had shown up, though they hadn't split off into pairs yet, so there was no material to be found there. The umbrella seemed to have joined Yuuka's entourage, though Aya couldn't say yet if that was because she'd been drawn in by the other youkai's power or if she just enjoyed being with Medicine. Momiji seemed to be buying a plush doll from Alice, which seemed a little odd. Aya had figured Momiji would prefer traditional porcelain dolls.

And wandering through the crowd was her self proclaimed rival... and Suwako? Aya stared closely to confirm her suspicions. That was unexpected. The girl had more promise then Aya had suspected.

Still even if Suwako was Hatate's front page, the worst it could do was boost Aya's sales from people interested in seeing the other half of the story. She just needed to make sure her article was better.

The festival din hushed as Kanako made her usual flashy appearance in front of the shrine. Admittedly flash was something to be proud of, and as the host, showing off was almost required. Kanako immediately headed into her speech, which sadly didn't describe much about the war at all, and mainly just talked about how great the unification of Japan was. Suwako looked a little miffed at points, but it was hardly the rage Aya had been hoping for.

The speech ended quickly, and Kanako raised her arms to allow those with large offerings to come forth.

Aya had almost given up hope on there being an incident when a small figure caught her eye. She smiled and raised her camera as she recognized the person. "Well, well, the most interesting person in Gensoukyo. Don't fail me now..."

* * *

Reimu sighed as the speech ended. "Well that wasn't too bad. Honestly those Kappa kids were way more annoying. Why were you so worried Sanae?"

Sanae absently tossed her gohei back and forth between hands. "It's not over yet. The worst is right about now..."

Reimu looked over at where the Great Tengu was offering several barrels of Sake (which would likely be gone before the end of the night) to Kanako. "Huh? What's there to worry about."

Sanae winced. "Because one of the offerings that can be made is to sacrifice frogs."

Reimu gave Sanae an odd look. "Huh? Who would know that? For that matter who would do that? I think you're worrying about nothing."

Marisa gave a cough. "Spoke too soon, Reimu. Look."

The two miko looked at where the magician was pointing. Coming down out of the sky was a very familiar ice fairy holding a sack. Reimu and Sanae buried their faces in their hands.

Cirno landed on the grounds, completely ignoring the line behind her. Fortunately most of the people in that line were looking forward to a bit of spectacle. Pointing at Kanako the fairy asked, "Are you the goddess that makes people strong?"

Kanako nodded in amusement. "Yes that is one of the blessing I can grant. Why, do you wish to become stronger little fairy?"

Cirno shook her head. "Nope! Cirno is already the strongest. I just want to make sure you don't make anyone stronger then me!"

She upended the sack. "You like frog sacrifices right? 'Cause I'm the best at freezing frogs!"

Sure enough a mass of frogsicles rolled onto the ground. Kanako did her best to hide a laugh, "That's not the normal way of offering them, but it is an impressive number."

Cirno nodded in 'comprehension.' "Oh, I can break them if you need to! It's real easy. Let's see..."

The solid crack of an iron ring bouncing off Cirno's skull and hitting the ground cut off any comments the fairy or Kanako were going to make. The crowd turned as one to see Suwako striding out of their midst, with her hat restored and an angry gleam in her eyes. "I'll accept a lot of grief from you Kanako. Stealing my snacks, setting up my shrine to be cleaned last, pretending you're the one doing the harvest work... A whole lot of grief. But I won't let you keep hurting frogs just to show me up!"

Kanako glared at the other goddess. "Did you think I'd really have that fairy kill all those frogs? Why don't you let me finish doing the real work around here while you go back to the shed!"

Reimu sighed and pulled out some talismans. "Alright plan B." She began to move forward when a gust of wind hit the crowd. To everyone's surprise suddenly Aya Shameimaru was standing next to Kanako and the unconscious Cirno with notebook in hand. "So Lady Suwako, do you often use your powers to crush small fairies who are actually participating in rituals? And how do you explain the interruption of festival events?"

There was a flash then Hatate entered the grounds next to Suwako. "So Aya, could you, for the record, explain why you spend so much time following this ice fairy around? What type of interest do you have in her?"

Aya looked shocked for a moment before smiling viciously. "I assure you I have no non professional interest in young girls, _like you two."_

Kanako burst out laughing at the looks of shock on the faces of Suwako and Hatate. "Oh no, you didn't," snarled the younger Tengu when she got back her composure.

Suwako was more direct. "Alright, let's see how well you do with spellcard rules Kanako!"

The four combatants took to the sky, exchanging attacks. Reimu put her amulet away and stepped back. This was no longer a problem that could be solved quickly. The rest of the Tengu and youkai were of course taking bets, and Sanae looked like she was beside herself with tears. "Sorry Sanae. Looks like we got outmaneuvered by idiots."

"Oh... There's got to be some way to stop them! Please stop you two!" Sanae's words flew up into the sky, where they were lost in the rumble of battle.

Reimu shrugged. "It's Gensoukyo. These things happen."

Sanae frowned. "It still looks bad! This is why your shrine has no worshipers." Sanae ignored Reimu's glare and began to pray. "Please stop those two..."

Suddenly an errant bullet landed behind the autumn shrine. Marisa's eyes went wide in concern. "The fireworks!"

Sure enough, not 3 seconds later a full Marisa special flew into the air. And Marisa was not one to skimp on gunpowder. Or magical explosives either. The gods and tengu fighting in the air were caught by surprise as the waves of explosives hit them. The Tengu were taken out before the first 'intermission' while Suwako and Kanako hit the ground as the finale shattered the skies.

"Nice work with the miracle, Sanae," Marisa said as Sanae stood sheepishly over the fallen forms of her goddesses.

Sanae winced. "I didn't mean to do it! It was an accident!"

Momiji walked out of the confused crowd and placed a sake bottle in front of the temples shrine maiden. Then she clapped her hands twice and bowed in supplication. "Oh great goddess of miracles Sanae Kochiya. Please grant my fellow Tengu the wisdom not to annoy me while I'm on patrol."

Sanae blushed furiously with embarrassment. "That's not funny Momiji!"

Momiji nodded and smiled as she looked on the unconscious forms on the ground. "Yes. Yes it is."


	3. Boredom

This is both more serious then my normal writing, and more stark in style I think. However I think that fits the mood a little more.

Once again a thanks to all the reviewers.

* * *

Tenshi sighed as she looked down from heaven. "I'm bored."

Tenshi was often bored.

If fact the last time she remembered having some real fun was last summer, when all the humans and youkai were running about challenging her. She'd even gotten someone interesting in heaven when Suika moved in. But the oni had finally gotten bored of heavens monotonous lifestyle herself, and had started roaming about.

And so Tenshi was bored. Bored, bored, bored.

It looked like there had been another incident or two while she'd been in the clouds. Reimu had wandered off underground, then a giant ship had been floating about before finally settling down as a temple. All that excitement down below, and Tenshi had missed all of it.

"That stupid shrine maiden's so lucky, to have so many youkai seeking to test her. I wish I had a real challenge..."

An idea floated into Tenshi's head. It was so simple really, anyone who had dared challenge the shrine maiden had to be a good fight! Thus, there must be someone in that temple worth battling!

Tenshi looked around quickly to make sure Iku wasn't watching, then slipped through the cloud cover to descend to Gensoukyo.

The Celestial considered how to make her challenge as she landed. Destroying the temple would work, but it'd be kind of lame to pull a repeat performance so soon after her first appearance. Insulting the local god worked for shrines, but the Buddha didn't really care. Maybe just walking in and hitting someone would work. It did have the advantage of shock value.

Tenshi's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a funeral prayer. Tenshi frowned. Whoever had the audacity to die today had really put a wrench in her plans. Still, it was far beneath her to interrupt a funeral. Tenshi sighed again. It seemed a good brawl wasn't in the cards.

Still, even with the funeral she could take a look at the people here and pick out which one was the strongest. That would save her some time later when she busted in and started operation 'punch someone in the face'. The celestial summoned her powers, and silently flew to one of the trees nearby to get a view of the ceremony.

The event itself seemed like a poor affair. The only mourners seemed to be a young woman and a small child, probably her own. The nun, Byakuren from what Tenshi had heard, was doing the ritual, aided by another nun, and a nyuudo of all things. Tenshi looked around for the rumored avatar of Bishamonten, but she couldn't see anyone that fit that description. It was too bad. A disciple of the fortune of strength would be a good opponent.

There was a rustle from a nearby branch as a white thrush landed on the tree. Tenshi was about to ignore the bird, but her celestial senses noticed something off about it. She reached for her sword just in case.

"Ah, sorry. Didn't mean to disturb you," the bird said quietly. As Tenshi watched it seemed to shift into a young woman in a short dress with strange asymmetrical wings.

Nue grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I'm always drawn to funerals. Guess that's one of the benefits of living at a temple. Doesn't quite make up for the amount of floor there is to polish, but there's free food too."

Tenshi gave the youkai a look. "You might find funerals enjoyable but they're dull to me." The celestial sighed. "I can't even find out who's the stongest fighter around here. What a waste. Why couldn't they have the funeral at the village temple?"

Nue frowned. "Well for one thing they're too poor. That's his wife and kid there. Only surviving relatives." She stretched then continued. "She was an orphan, and his parents drank themselves to death, leaving him with serious debts. Their farm failed last year, so he was hunting to try to get food when he ran into a pack of wolves."

"So no money, and a corpse that needs a proper burial. Since Byakuren's the only priest who will do the full service for free..." Nue shrugged.

"Sucks to be him," Tenshi remarked offhandedly.

Nue nodded. "Yeah. What were the chances he'd get hit with snow in July? Much less a tornado. I didn't think Gensoukyo had the right terrain for that kind of weather."

Tenshi's stomach seemed to drop at those words. "When did that happen again?"

"Hm... I think the people said it was last summer. There was all kinds of strange weather." Nue grew silent to hear the last funeral chants before continuing softly, "It's all the talk in the village. 'All those youkai about and freak weather does the most damage. Kinda ironic.'"

Tenshi saw the woman burst into tears again, the child following his mother soon after. The Celestial felt sick, a sensation she barely remembered from her human days long ago.

"Well I should leave," Tenshi said hastily before flitting back up towards the clouds.

"Goodbye," Nue called out after her. She then turned back to study the funeral, knowing that her call would be altered by her powers to sound like the chirping of birds.

* * *

Tenshi couldn't sleep.

The gnawing and churning in her belly had subsided a bit with food, but not that much. And she didn't feel hungry at all.

Finally Tenshi slipped out into the peach orchards of heaven and picked a bag of the fruits. They were boring as all get out, but they'd keep you alive.

She checked to make sure no one was spying on her once again before sneaking back down to Gensoukyo.

As the Celestial began creeping towards the edge of the human village she found her steps begin to lighten. The shroud over her mind faded away.

Soon she was even looking forward to the meeting. She could play the role of a helpful stranger and everyone would end up happy. It played out beautifully over in her head, each repetition adding new details.

The farmhouse itself failed to disappoint when it came into view. Obviously built with care, but rickety due to lack of maintenance, it showed the perfect spirit for the 'deserving family aided by heaven.' That was important, if someone like Iku yelled at her for interference later.

Tenshi composed herself at the door, making sure her hat was placed properly. The wind had picked up a little, and she didn't want to look foolish during her entrance. After she was certain she was projecting the proper authority she knocked proudly on the door.

There was no response. The only sound was the wind as it rustled through the leaves and set the house to creaking.

Tenshi frowned. She had to be at the right place, and it's not like they'd be out and around at this time.

She knocked again louder.

There was no response.

Maybe the woman and her kid had gone off to Byakuren's temple, or one of the other small human temples to beg for food. Well that pretty much shot down her grand entrance. Still, she could leave the basket. And it might still considered a miracle. In fact this might be better. A bag of peaches, mysteriously appearing every night. Maybe it'd be a kabuki play some day!

Tenshi pushed open the door and summoned a small light so she wouldn't trip over anything in the dark.

The wind picked up again, and with it the creaking noise. Tenshi's smile died. She dropped the bag of peaches.

The Celestial stood there for some time, her mind blank.

Finally she turned and slowly walked out the door, leaving the two hanging bodies swaying slowly as the wind blew through the cracks in the house.

* * *

"The second stone is for my mother..."

Komachi sighed as she turned away from the kid. This one hadn't listened either. Komachi wondered why the rock piling story still lingered in the realms of the living. Perhaps it said something about the human mind.

Well she could give the speech again when she came back from this job. She turned towards the other ghost. "Come along. It's one per boat anyway. I'll promise I'll pick him up on the next trip."

Komachi began stepping towards the boat when a massive rock plummeted from the skies. Komachi just barely kept her balance as the earth shook.

As the dust cleared Tenshi Hiwanai readied her sword. "I'm here to take that ghost off your hands," Tenshi said.

Komachi's blinked. She hadn't thought that the celestial could look this serious. Still there was no way she'd just hand over a ghost she was in the middle of ferrying over. She readied her scythe. "Sorry, but this one has a meeting with the Yama, and those can't be put off. Even for your games."

"This isn't a game," Tenshi snarled, "I'm..."

"Seeking to atone for your crimes with a greater crime."

Komachi instinctively flinched at Shikieiki's harsh tone, even though it wasn't directed at her. The yama hadn't sounded that angry in her presence since the time one of the Shinigami had been caught harvesting souls for fun. A look at Shikieiki's stern face as the judge of paradise hovered over the river only scared her more

Tenshi however didn't seem to be worried at all. "What! Should I just sit here and let you sentence them to hell? I have power here, and I'm going to use it as I see fit!"

Shikieiki's frown deepened. "Foolish child! Listen closely. Yes I will judge this woman. And she will be sent to hell." The yama pointed at Tenshi with her rod of judgment. "And after she atones there she will be born again, to improve her life. True, should you use your sword she will become enlightened. However!" This time the yama's powerful voice caused both Komachi and Tenshi to take a step back. "Her mind will be unable to fully understand that enlightenment. She will move past the self without understanding what the self was. Enlightenment without experience is the same as nothingness!"

Tenshi stood their trembling as Shikieiki continued. "As a celestial performing your duties, may bring suffering to others, just as my work does. However, your actions have not been for the sake of duty or responsibility, but due to your own desires for entertainment. Even now, your act of contrition is more due to your need to feel you did something good, rather then out of a true understanding of your sins and a desire to repent."

There was a long pause. Finally Komachi coughed. "Well I better get started on my work. I'll meet you on the other side boss."

Shikieiki nodded to the Shinigami. "Of course. I'll be waiting there." Turning back to the celestial, Shikieiki pulled out her mirror and held it up. "As for you, perhaps you will understand better when you view your own sin."

There was a flash of light and suddenly there was another Tenshi standing there. The copy pointed at Tenshi. "You better not bore me! I've been looking forward to a fun battle." The copy grinned darkly. "If you don't keep me entertained you just might die."

The true Tenshi took a deep breath and stood up straighter. "Fine. Let's do this then."

* * *

Komachi lightly tapped the celestial with her scythe. "You dead?"

Tenshi groaned and tried to stand. "That's a stupid question from a Shinigami."

Komachi shrugged. "Shikieiki said that I should bring you next if you had died. So if you want to sail across the river just tell me. Otherwise you'll have to stand up on your own." The shinigami sat down on a rock to wait. "I imagine there are some guys in collections who'd be real happy if I just dragged you along, but that's not my style. The yama's big about personal choices."

The celestial muttered something unintelligible then slowly rose to her feet. After a couple more minutes her legs stopped shaking. "I'm not going to die here, so you can just buzz off."

Komachi sighed. "Darn. I was hoping for an easy trip. Well I guess I'll go fill my other promise then."

"What other promise?"

Komachi tossed her scythe over her shoulder. "The usual. A kid thinks that he needs to make a pillar of stones before he's got enough karma to cross the Sanzu. I keep telling them it doesn't actually work like that but..."

"Which one?" Komachi looked back at Tenshi's question. "Which one am I responsible for?"

"You should know already. You're a Celestial. You control the very foundations of the earth, and determine the cycle of want and plenty." Komachi looked straight at Tenshi. "You're responsible for all of them."

"Tch. Isn't this Jizo's job? Fine." Tenshi gave a grim smile. "I hope you're ready for a lot of rowing, because I'm good with rocks."

She walked through the mists until she came across one of the small ghosts. "Hey kid, lemme give you a hand." She summoned a keystone and slammed the massive rock into the earth. "The first stone is for your father!..."


	4. Spam

A lot of things have happened personally since I put something up here. Some good some bad, but all time consuming.

It doesn't help that I've spread myself a little thin between my writing, the VN, work and now school.

But I'll be trying to get back into the groove. I won't promise FAST updates. That's beyond me even at my best. But I'll be around.

This time is a double header, because one of the stories doesn't really stand solo, and because I want some humor interspersed.

For background, this piece's challenge was "design a Gensoukyo style Nigerian spam email."

* * *

The young man hurried as fast as he could down the darkened path, the heavy backpack he was carrying slowing him down.

It was pure foolishness to be out here this late at night, but the opportunity was too good to pass up! He was so lucky to have gotten the letter at his house. He pulled out the printed note and looked it over once again, marveling at his good fortune.

"HELLO,

I AM A YOUKAI IN THE FOREST WITH BIG PROPOSITION FOR YOU. ON A TRIP TO HUMAN VILLAGE I BOUGHT A LOTTERY TICKET AS A SUVINEER OF MY JOURNEY. I THEN RETURNED TO MY HOME, IN THE FOREST.

RECENTLY I HEARD FROM MY FAMILY IN THE HUMAN VILLAGE THAT MY LOTTO TICKET WAS THE LUCKY WINNER FOR 20,000,000 YEN. I TRIED TO COLLECT PRIZE, BUT THIS PRIZE REQUIRES TO BE COLLECTED IN PERSON AND BY HUMANS ONLY. AS I AM A YOUKAI IN THE FOREST I AM PREVENTED FROM COLLECTING.

I NEED A HUMAN I CAN TRUST TO COLLECT THE PRIZE MONEY. MY SOURCES TELL ME YOU ARE A VERY HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY INDIVIDUAL, SO I HAVE SENT YOU THIS LETTER IN THE HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME. IN EXCHANGE FOR YOUR HELP I WILL GIVE YOU 50% OF MY WINNINGS, PLUS ANOTHER 10 THOUSAND YEN COLLECTORS FEE.

ALL I NEED FOR YOU TO DO IS BRING 30 POUNDS MEAT AS A DOWNPAYMENT TO THE PATH NORTH OF HUMAN VILLAGE AFTER DARK ON TUESDAY AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE WINNING TICKET. IF YOU CAN'T GET 30 POUNDS OF MEAT, 20 POUNDS OF MEET WITH SPICE WOULD ALSO BE GOOD. I WILL MEET YOU THERE TO GIVE THE WINNING TICKET.

YOURS TRUELY,  
RUMIA

PS IF POSSIBLE BRING BBQ SAUCE SO I KNOW THAT THE HUMAN IS YOU. I WILL BRING FORK AND KNIFE SO YOU KNOW IT IS ME.

Two figures surveyed the path north of the human village from high in the air.

"I don't believe that idiot!" Reimu said in digust. "How could anyone have fallen for that? There's no lotto of that size in the human village, and even if there was, no one would be stupid enough to refuse to give the winning prize to a youkai." She turned to yell down at the distant figure, "Hey moron! Didn't you notice every single house in the village had one of those notes? It was the talk of the town all day!"

Aya sighed deeply. "It's not like Rumia's doing much better. She's just sitting in her cloud of darkness in the middle of the road." The reporter shook her head in disdain. "Would it be that much harder to hide in the bushes and ambush the fool?"

Reimu snorted. "Why would she need to? The moron's going to run right into that cloud of darkness. Just you watch."

Sure enough the young man went straight into the darkness cloud.

"Shouldn't you help that human out?" Aya asked the shrine maiden.

"If she eats him she'll be doing the village a favor." Reimu briefly glanced up at the tengu. "Why'd you let her use your printing press for those notes anyway?"

Aya shrugged. "Slow news week."

"Oh look." Reimu pointed. "Seems like he managed to not die."

Sure enough the young man was fleeing from the darkness cloud. Somewhere in there he'd gained a few bite marks, and his backpack was spilling meat behind him from a large tear in it, but he seemed mostly unharmed.

The cloud of darkness however was in quick pursuit! At least until it slammed into a tree and stopped moving. The young man however didn't bother to look back. He just kept running for the safety of the village.

Aya finished scribbling some notes. "And so it ends. Well maybe I can make a comedy piece out of it."

"Good luck with that. Me? I'm going to grab that meat." Reimu began flying down.

"Hey!" Aya gave Reimu a look. "As much as I hate to admit it, Rumia earned that meat fairly. Well fairly for a youkai anyway. Has the Hakurei shrine maiden been forced to resort to stealing to make ends meet?"

Reimu sighed then shrugged. "Fine fine. You grab the kid, I'll grab the meat, and we'll split the proceeds three ways. You can do a food column or something."

"Now you're talking."


	5. Farewells

This challenge was on death.

* * *

Kotori looked out suspiciously at the woods. While it wasn't unusual for her to feel the presence of youkai, she had a special duty today. Her grandmother was tired, so no one was supposed to disturb her. And she was certain that the youkai was trying to work around her to get into the room where her grandmother was resting. Which was why she was peering intently at the underbrush.

The watcher in the forest was suitably impressed with the young girls skill. Even if the young priestess was mistaking two auras for one, her form in searching was perfect.

Still, there were other matters to attend to. The watcher moved quickly to where the other youkai was and grabbed it by the neck. It cried out loudly in shock and annoyance. At the shrine Kotori jumped almost a foot in the air and crashed down onto the ground before scrambling to her feet gohei in hand. "Alright youkai! Come out and face me fair and square!" she yelled.

"A bold request for one so young. But unnecessary. Neither of us are going to hurt you." Momiji stepped out of the woods holding Rin by the scruff of her neck. "I was just following this one to make sure she kept out of trouble."

The young wind priestess stared long and hard at the two figures before lowering her gohei. "Oh! It's you. But why are you here Ms Inubashiri? Shouldn't you be with the goddesses at the wake?"

"I've given my proper respects, so I decided to follow this one." Momiji shook Rin, who shifted to human form. "Who was doing something she shouldn't be doing these days."

Orin laughed sheepishly. "Well, it's not often you have a chance to catch one of the greats."

Momiji smiled at Kotori. "Anyway, I'd like to speak with your grandmother, if it could be arranged."

Kotori looked conflicted at the request. "Well, I know you're a good family friend Miss Inubashiri, but grandma's supposed to be resting. Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako wouldn't even let her go to the wake today."

"Kotori? Is that Momiji out there with you?" a weak voice called out from within the shrine doors.

"Ah, Grandmother! Yes it is. She said she wanted to speak to you."

"Thank you granddaughter. You can let her in. I trust her to guard my privacy just as well as you can." The old voice chuckled slightly. "You should go punish that other youkai by having her help you sweep the grounds."

Momiji nodded to the younger priestess. "You can count on me. I'll guard the door as if it led to the Great Tengu's chambers."

Kotori bowed, then pointed her gohei at Rin. "Alright youkai, it's time for your punishment! Follow me!"

Rin laughed again. "Oh well. That's what I get for getting caught. Show me where the brooms are, kid."

Momiji quietly opened the sliding door to the small room then shut it behind her. It was a very spartan abode. There was a futon, a heater, and a small table with several medicine packages on it.

The futon itself was occupied by Sanae Kochiya, eldest shrine maiden in Gensoukyo. For now.

Momiji smiled softly at the old woman before sitting down at her side, being sure to position herself do could face the door as well. Sanae laughed. "I shouldn't be surprised. You would guard me wouldn't you? No matter how meaningless it is."

"I promised the young girl outside. And no wolf Tengu would break a promise to a friend," Momiji replied with a chuckle.

The woman on the futon weakly raised a hand to trace the smile. "Hm... In the old days you would have said that with a straight face. Have I managed to corrupt you, oh great patrol tengu?"

Momiji snorted. "Hah. I'm just humoring you more. There's no way a human could corrupt a Tengu."

Sanae chuckled again. "Oh really? I wonder..." She laid back down again and sighed. "That's right. How was the wake?"

"It was... boisterous. Aya, Marisa and Remilia are smashed. Well, more then normal. Reimu's daughter was unconscious when I left. And I think Suika might have actually drunk enough to affect her judgment."

Sanae sighed. "That's good to hear. I know the funeral was so quiet. I guess Youkai don't attend funerals. Well, except perhaps those that were human like Marisa." She closed her eyes.

Momiji's smile faded a bit. She felt like she was intruding on something private. "Sanae. Should I go run and fetch the goddesses? I think they should be here for this..."

Sanae's eyes opened. "Hm? Do you think I'm dying Momiji?"

The words broke through her cheerful facade to strike her heart. Momiji clenched her fists. "I know you're dying Sanae. Don't try to deceive me. The kassha came here to pick up your corpse, and Orin doesn't make mistakes."

Sanae sighed again. After a moment she said, "Well, perhaps I am dying. Dying more then I was before anyway. I think I'm taking in more medicine then food now."

Momiji started to stand. "So let me get the goddesses and have them stay with you. They've put in their time at the wake. You don't need to settle for a patrol tengu to keep you company as you..."

"Momiji!" Sanae said abruptly. "I'm not settling for anything. I'm happy to have you keep me company." She adjusted her head slightly to get a better view of Momiji's face. "Besides I won't die until I've said goodbye to them. I promised myself."

Momiji frowned. Seeing the expression, Sanae waved her finger at the wolf tengu. "What's that look? You don't believe me?"

Momiji paused, then sat back down. She took the old priestesses boney hand in hers. "No. I have faith in you, Sanae"

Sanae smiled brightly at her friend. "I know. I can feel it." She gripped the wolf tengu's hand tightly.

There was a long silence.

Finally Sanae spoke again. "I wonder if I'll be able to see Reimu before judgment. Talk to her one more time, maybe get one more duel in." She paused for a moment. "I wish I could see my daughter again too..."

Momiji nodded, not sure what exactly to say. She could feel tears starting to leak into her vision. *Dammit! What kind of gods are you if you can't even tell when your priestess is dying!*

The air ripped asunder with a thunderclap as two figures appeared inside the room. "Sanae!" Kanko yelled while rushing to the priestesses side. Suwako quickly followed.

"Oh good. You're back," Sanae said weakly. Then her eyes closed.

"Oi! Sanae!" Momiji yelled.

The priestess grimaced. "Just let me sleep, a little..." Her expression relaxed again and she began breathing deeply.

Suwako brushed the priestesses wispy hair back into place with her hand, while Kanako bowed slightly to Momiji. "Thank you. She refused to call for us, so we didn't know until your prayer reached us."

Momiji looked away from the goddess. "Yeah. Well, it was for her sake. Don't get used to it."

Momiji stood and let Kanako take her place holding Sanae's hand. Wiping her eyes she walked out of the sliding door. There in the courtyard were Orin and Kotori. Kotori's face was twisted with worry. Momiji stepped aside and nudged the young girl towards the room. "Go in. Your Grandmother would want you there."

"Grandma..." The girl called out as she ran through the door.

Momiji wiped her eyes again, then managed a weak smile at Orin. "Told you that girl was going to break a few hearts."

The wolf tengu began walking away from the shrine, when the kassha's hand dropped on her shoulder. "Where are you going sis?"

Momiji bristled a bit. "I'm going home. To be alone."

Orin shook her head. "If you were a cat you'd want to be alone. But you're a wolf Tengu. You want to go drinking with friends until you can barely stand, then howl your sorrows at the moon. So we're going to grab Nitori, and hit up Mystia's until you're plastered."

Momiji growled, but Rin didn't flinch. After a while Momiji sighed and allowed the kassha to take the lead. "You cats can be real annoying."

"You prefer it if I chewed on your tail?"

Momiji shook her head. "Alright, but you can't complain later about my bitching. And you're the one who gets to drag me home after this and the wake."

* * *

The funeral was a sunny day.

Momiji stood a distance away from the family. She didn't really think much of gods. Still they seemed to be taking good care of Kotori, despite their own grief.

Marisa and Alice had both shown up as well. Marisa had muttered something about her and Sakuya being the last, before lapsing into silence. Alice had said nothing, just walked over to the young wind priestess and handed her a tiny doll of Sanae in her younger days, before moving back to where Momiji and Marisa were standing.

Momiji wasn't quite as unused to funerals as most youkai. Training was always dangerous. For that matter, Momiji had been alive long enough to have fought in the last battles the of the Tengu, before they left the human world behind.

Still this wasn't the same. When a colleague fell Momiji could promise to continue their fight, to fill their place. But Sanae didn't serve the Tengu like Momiji did. In fact Sanae had been one of the people Momiji was supposed to keep an eye on.

She had no idea how to honor her friends memory.

The service ended quickly. Kanako thanked Momiji and the two magicians for showing up, while Suwako comforted Kotori. Then they left for the wake, followed closely by Alice.

Momiji stayed. She didn't feel closure. Not yet.

After a while someone coughed behind her. The wolf Tengu turned to find Marisa still there, looking uncomfortable. "What do you want?" Momiji asked.

"Well, I don't know if this is the best time, but I figured I'd ask you for a favor, since I can't exactly get up the mountain without causing a stir." Marisa flinched under Momiji's glare. "Hold on, lemme explain."

"Do it quickly."

Marisa nodded. "Well, the thing is, I've kinda got it in my head to help out Reimu's granddaughter down here. Make sure she gets out more, and meets up with more youkai and humans without her parents getting in the way." The magician shrugged. "Anyway, I figure Sanae's granddaughter might want to get out more too, but well, like I said..."

Momiji blinked considering the magicians words. Then she smiled. "I think I can look after Kotori."

Marisa grinned briefly. "Right. Well I'll see you at the wake." She gave a weak wave, grabbed her broom then flew off.

Momiji turned back to the small grave marker. Once again she had tears in her eyes, but this time it was okay. She had her answers. There was only one last thing left to say.

"If you reincarnate in Gensoukyo, let's become friends again."


	6. A Renga

For a mood break, I'll toss up a poem. The contest was a haiku, but I've always preferred Renga. The topic was spellcards.

Voiceless announcement  
Cherry blossoms and blue skies  
Lilly needs no cards

A celebration of life  
A concerto of bullets

In the pure land's house  
Butterfly's resurrection  
The spring moon is full

Memories of a lost town  
Was my life so great a sin?

Chilled Watermellon  
A gathering for a feast  
The days heat will fade

Hermits in an endless night  
The fireflies join the dance

Amid sunflowers  
A black witch stole my love's sign  
Yet my heart still blooms

In the poison fields a doll  
Her eyes pure and full of joy

The leaves are painted  
A sweet potato is baked  
Two sisters' quiet war

The fields filled with natures death  
To bring into this world life

A steady thudding  
Rabbit's mochi is piled up  
A festival comes

I raise my cup to the sky  
But it can't see the full moon

The maple has turned  
Crows call to one another  
I sweep the steps clean

Gossip rags pass talismans  
I reject your newspaper

Bamboo bends in wind  
The moon's reflection wavers  
The honest man dies

The pheonix will rise again  
While the sun and moon circle

Flowers wither away  
Diamond dust shimmers brightly  
Winter awakens

Underneath the kotatsu  
Twin tails twitch in happiness

The sky is clear  
My eyes are blinded by snow  
A river babbles

The melting icicle falls  
The strongest bids her farewell

Flowers are blooming  
The cycle of time restarts  
Lilly has returned


	7. Soccer

This challenge was given during the world cup, and the subject matter is thus fairly obvious. I will state it falls into "somewhat silly" territory. Though I could ALMOST see Yukari doing this to troll Gensoukyo.

It'd have to be a pretty dull summer for anyone else to agree to it though.

And of course I apologize to the rest of the world for only barely knowing the rules of soccer. Er, football.

* * *

"I imagine you're both wondering why I brought you here," The ancient gap youkai said in a sinister voice.

Reimu shook her head. "No. Can I go home now?"

"No, you can't." Yukari coughed then continued. "Gensoukyo has become too stable. There is conflict, but no change. In order to advance, one of the great houses must fall."

Sanae shivered at those words. "Wait! You mean we're going to have to engage in some kind of Battle Royal? That's too cruel!"

"We should be so lucky," Reimu muttered. "What horrible idea do you have this time, Sukima?"

Yukari smiled grimly. "You two shrines shall gather your allies and compete in a brutal contest of the outside world. The winners shall absorb the losers, spreading the needed chaos across the land. And this sport shall be..." Yukari raised a black and white ball into the air. "FOOTBALL!"

Sanae blinked. "What?"

Reimu grabbed the gap youkai by the throat. "I'll do it, because I have no choice. But I swear, if you bring a crowd of fairies armed with those damned buzzing things I'll break the Hakurei Barrier myself!"

* * *

Thus the two shrines began hunting down their teams. It was a long and difficult process, mainly because no one really took this seriously at all, but in the end two full teams met at the field that Yukari had summoned from who knows where.

In the makeshift locker room Reimu looked over the strange crew that had assembled at her request. She was a little worried about being underpowered for a soccer match, but she knew that her team had an impressive trick on their side. Hopefully that would be enough to turn the balance.

Suddenly a Suika ran into the room. "Mission Success!" She gave the other Suika in the room a high five before turning to Reimu. "I've got their roster. Looks like your guesses were right. It's the goddesses, the three tengu, and a batch from the underground. Looks like they got that Nue girl too, so they only needed one Zombie fairy to round out their ranks.

Alice gave Marisa a dry look. "You shouldn't have sold her out to the papers, Marisa."

Marisa shrugged. "She should blame the tengu for printing it. It's not my fault she showed her true form to me."

Meiling looked up from where she had been doing stretches. "So who's the goalie?"

"That wolf tengu." the scout Suika replied.

"Who cares!" added the other Suika. "I get to punch a god! In a major sporting event!"

Reimu sighed. "Yuugi, I'm counting on you to hold the line after Suika get's herself kicked out."

"Hey," the Suikas cried out. "Only one of us is going to get kicked out. You'll still have the other."

Yuugi rolled her eyes. "Unless they kick you out at the start for being on the field in two places at once."

Suika gave her fellow oni a questioning glace. "By the way, how the heck did Reimu talk you into this?"

At that moment Parsee walked out from behind the lockers. "Alice! What's with this cheerleader's outfit? You got this skirt too short! And the top covers even less then my old undershirt did!."

"That's intentional," Alice replied.

Yuugi smiled. "I think you look great in it."

Suika looked at the brightly blushing bridgekeeper, then back at her fellow Oni. "I'm jealous..."

"Hey, you look like you're hot cheerleader girl! Let me cool you down!" Parsee jumped away from the blue ice fairy, but the green fairy behind her grabbed the young girls arm before any more chaos could occur.

"That's not necessary Cirno!" Daiyousei said as she hustled the other fairy away.

Marisa shook her head. "You sure about them Reimu? Somehow I don't see them taking out Okuu or Orin."

Reimu smiled. "Trust me. This games going to be won by speed and technique. We've got you and Youmu for speed. Those two and Koakuma help give us the technique."

"Pah. If you had just let me destroy the sun so me and Flandre could play, you wouldn't need to worry about such things." Remilia stood with the rest of the scarlet devil mansion, for once helping fix Sakuya's clothes as opposed to Sakuya fixing hers. "I suppose that Sakuya, Meiling and that other devil will suffice though."

There was a crackle of static as the stolen speaker systems came to life. Yukari's voice echoed through the room. "Will all players please come to the pitch for the opening ceremony and official rules announcements."

Reimu tossed her gohei over her shoulder. "Just watch vampire. Player 2 miko will be serving us tea before dinner."

* * *

The two teams faced off on the field, a crowd of overly excited fairies cheering them on. On one side Parsee and a couple of fairy maids turned cheerleader were rallying Reimu's crowd, while on the other side Satori and a crew of Zombie fairies formed Moriya's cheer squad.

Yukari Yakumo stood at the center of the pitch, waving over Reimu and Sanae, the respective team captains. "Alright, I'm looking for a good interesting fight. We're both clear on what happens when each side wins, right?"

"No! You haven't told us anything at all," Sanae muttered.

"It's always like this," Reimu replied.

Yukari smiled. "Whoops. Okay. The winning shrine absorbs the other. In addition if Sanae wins, the Scarlet Devil Mansion has to open up a shrine on their grounds."

"What!" screamed Remilia from the sides. "Dammit! You better not screw this up Reimu!"

"Tell that to Meiling. She better guard the goal better then she guards your gate!" Reimu yelled back.

Yukari continued on, "And if Reimu wins, I get Aya as a Shikigami!"

"What!" Aya sputtered. Hatate began laughing uproariously.

"And she gets Hatate as her shikigami," Yukari added with a grin.

Hatate's face froze. "Oh no you didn't."

Momiji shook her head. "What kind of pictures do you have on the Head Tengu?"

Yukari laughed. "Oh it's not about the pictures I have. It's the pictures I promised. Two birds and a fox."

Hatate pulled out her cellphone. "'Yukari Yakumo. Old hag, or perverted old hag? We report, you decide.'"

Yukari smiled. "And now..."

"Hold it right there!"

The crowd turned to see Shikieiki step onto the field, followed by Komachi, Byakuren, Shou and Nazarin. "You don't think I can allow such blatant favoritism in a referee do you? You actively gain if the Moriya lose, and the Scarlet Devil Mansion is your most dependable ally, even if that's only because you easily manipulate their boredom. I'll be taking charge of this event. With the aid of the group most likely to be harmed by either sides victory of course." Shikieiki nodded at the representatives of Gensoukyo's biggest temple. She waved Yukari off. "You go to the commentators box or something."

To many people's surprise Yukari just smiled and walked away. Reimu and Sanae breathed a sigh of relief. "All right," said the yama. "I shall inform you of the unique rules to this event. First, I will NOT be rescinding the ban on weapons. All swords, knives, magical reactors, cameras and control rods are to be left off the field." Shikieiki gave the two goddesses a look. "And no summoning weapons either. No iron rings or sacred logs."

Momiji raised her shield. "Since I'm the goalie protective equipment is okay, right?"

The yama paused a moment. "Only if it's securely strapped to your arm."

Reimu swore and Marisa groaned. "Dammit, it looks like we got nerfed again."

Alice nodded grimly. "Without the hakkero Marisa's too slow. It's going to be just Youmu against the Tengu, and she doesn't have her swords. We're in trouble."

Youmu looked determined as she put down her blades. "Don't worry about me. I'll handle the tengu, you guys just stick to the plan."

Once the groups had been disarmed the yama continued. "Unless, splitting consumes personal energy no more then 11 people on the field at a time." She pointed at the Suikas. "I'll allow it, but no more of you. Youmu's ghost half doesn't count."

"Thirdly, the ball will be treated to resist the impacts it will assuredly receive. It's still a ball however, so cutting techniques will pop it!" The players all nodded. This they had expected.

"Lastly, this being Gensoukyo I fully expect the play to become physical. However!" The yama slammed down her placard. "I will not have this event marred by death. Komachi here will keep any ghosts from passing on, and Eirin will fix any injuries inflicted. Those dealing normally killing blows to another player, even by accident, will be red carded immediately!"

Kanako frowned. "You realize you just made getting people killed a strategy, right?"

Shikieiki shook her head. "Only for people with questionable morals. In any case, you have twenty minutes to talk and set up. Then the match will begin!"

* * *

"And it looks like the two teams are lining up for the kickoff as we speak!" Yukari yelled through the PA system. "It seems Yuugi and Kanako are facing off in the middle, while the Suikas have paired off against Utsuho and Suwako. Both sides also seem to be using the yama's rules as a defensive screen, placing their more fragile members in the background to keep shooters from using any kick that could 'kill' them. However, while team Moriya is using Rin, Nue and one of the Zombie fairies, team Hakurei seems to be fielding Alice, Marisa and Cirno back there. I can understand Reimu sacrificing her friends, but is Koakuma really more important then your old friend Marisa?"

Yukari paused to duck an orb before continuing. "Rounding out the field are both team leaders. Sanae is flanked by the two tengu, Hatate and Aya, meaning the wind will not be in Hakurei's favor this game, while Reimu is backed by Sakuya, Youmu and Koakuma."

"And now it looks like the Moriya team has won the toss. The kickoff is about to begin!"

Yuugi cracked her knuckles and smiled at the war god. "You think you're still in good enough shape to take me on?"

Kanako smiled and stretched. "Any day oni. Though you should be worried more about Suwako's earth powers."

"Well it's a good thing we've got a plan for that," Yuugi said.

There was an earth shattering crash, followed by whistles. Kanako sighed before looking over to see one of the Suika's and Suwako being pushed apart by Shou and Byakuren.

"Alright that's it!" Shou pulled out a red card on both the players. "Both of you. Out!"

Suika wiped the blood dribbling from her nose. "Ah, it was just a little accident ref. Nothing major."

Suwako dabbed at the cut on her forhead. "Yeah. There's nothing keeping that twerp from taking another punch or seven."

Shou shook her head. "Blood means a foul. A foul before the game officially has started means a red card! Out!"

Kanako sighed. "That idiot. War gods learn how to plan..."

Yuugi laughed. "So, have you planned for the kickoff?"

Kanako smiled, "You'll see."

* * *

Yukari couldn't help but tap her fingers on the desk in excitement. Everything was going according to plan. And the best part was all she had to do now was act as a sports commentator!

"And so now the kickoff commences. Yugi goes for the ball, but it looks like Sanae's using her wind powers to halve the distance Kanako needs!" Yukari carefully covered her ears to shield them from the resulting sonic boom. "And it's a beeline right for Meiling. Meiling seems to have adopted some kind of stance though. Yes! It's the fabled Tai Chi redirection technique! She's caught the ball, but cover your ears again folks because..." The air was torn asunder again. "It's going back towards Momiji with equal and opposite force!"

Suddenly Yukari's eyes grew wide. She ducked as the ball smashed through the announcement booth and went out into low earth orbit. After taking a moment to make sure nothing else dangerous was coming her way she moved back to the microphone. "And... um it seems that Momiji's fancy sheild work makes direct shots at her a poor idea as well. A skilled angling deflection from the Moriya goalkeeper. It looks like these teams can't rely on power alone to score."

* * *

Momiji took a moment to growl at the two crow tengu. "Next time follow up properly!"

Hatate shrugged. "That was Aya's ball."

Aya snarled "It doesn't matter who's ball it was, someone needs to field it. I was guarding Youmu, whats your excuse?"

"Unless you two want to spend the rest of your days a Shikigami I'd suggest you give up your rivalry and start working together!" Momiji barked. The two other tengu shrugged, but moved into position. Momiji looked at where Marisa was preparing to throw the ball in to Suika, then motioned to Sanae to alter the wind a bit.

Sure enough the oni tried to power the ball through her. This time however there was a little spin on it.

Not enough though.

Momiji carefully adjusted her shield then leaped towards the ball. It ricocheted off into the sky. "Now!"

Hatate rushed up into the air and kicked the ball away from where Youmu was moving. Aya quickly moved to intercept then shot it back to Hatate who'd flown high above midfield. "Alright!" Aya yelled. "Jet stream attack!"

Sanae jumped up and down on the field. "Yes! This is going to be sooo cool!"

The two tengu fired the ball between them, keeping Youmu on pure defense and picking up speed. Then just as it seemed Aya was about to throw out another pass Okuu swooped in from the side and slammed the ball down towards the goal. Meiling desperately tried to guess the angle of attack, but she was too slow.

The net snapped and an airhorn sounded. "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL" Yelled Yukari into the mike.

Reimu cursed.

* * *

Marisa turned to the ice fairy in the backfield. "Alright Cirno. It's time to implement the plan!"

Cirno looked at the magician crossly. "What plan? Why am I taking orders from you?"

Alice sighed. "The plan to show off for the newspapers."

Cirno brightened up. "Oh! Right!" After a moment she said. "What was the plan again?"

Alice and Marisa looked at eachother. "I don't know." The black white witch said with a sigh. "Reimu didn't tell the rest of the team. Just stop the ball, okay!"

Cirno looked pleased. "I can do that!"

"Well you better do it fast, because it looks like Aya's stolen the ball," Alice stated calmly.

The three watched the areal dance begin again as the two tengu swooped about while Okuu moved between shooting places. "You going to do something?" Marisa asked nervously.

"It's about timing!" Cirno replied.

This time Okuu dashed in from behind Hatate. "Now would be a good time!" yelled Marisa.

Cirno smirked and held up her hands.

The hell raven's grin turned into a look of confusion as her kick shattered the now frozen ball. "Unyuu?"

The earth trembled as Kanako stomped her foot. "What the hell was that!"

The yama considered the technique for a moment. "I'll allow it!"

Sanae sighed.

* * *

The Moriya teams huddle was in a panic. "When did that ice fairy get pinpoint accuracy?" wondered Sanae.

Aya frowned. "She's just terrible at danmaku. When it comes to freezing things she's actually really good. Well, unless you want the item to thaw later."

Hatate reached for her phone, then frowned when she remembered it had been kept off the field. "The info you gained from being a lolicon won't help us here. We need to know what to do now! We can't defend against that technique."

Kanako sighed. "Utsuho, you're going to have to foul her out."

"Unyuu?"

Orin's tails twitched. "Are you saying our BEST option is to get our best striker ejected in order to kick out CIRNO? Let me do it. It's not like I'm useful for anything besides that and Zombie fairy replacements in this mess."

"You could take her out, but she'd be back next half after she respawned. Only Okuu here has the firepower to keep her off field for the whole match." Kanako stated.

Utsuho smiled. "Don't worry about it Rin! I'll just vaporize the whole backfield! Three for the price of one."

Rin buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe this is our best plan."

Sanae looked at the rest of her team in horror. "I can't believe this is our plan! We're going to kill Alice and Marisa too!"

"Meiling too, if we're lucky," Nue added.

"Don't worry. They'll get better." Momiji said calmly. "Oh. It looks like Eirin's got a new ball for us. Time to go."

* * *

Alice looked up at the three circling crows. "They're up to something."

"Of course they are," Marisa said. "There's no way they can just let us keep freezing the ball every time they're about to score. They want to finish this fast."

Cirno ignored the two, carefully watching the ball for the most amusing time to freeze it. This was way better then freezing frogs. She'd almost figured out the two tengu's pattern when she saw Okuu charging up something. "Hey. What's that big crow doing."

Alice and Marisa looked up at the brightening sky. "RUN!" the two witches yelled as Okuu launched her fireball.

Alice was briefly tempted to look behind her as the fusion blast went off, but the heat from the explosion rapidly dissuaded her. Then the shockwave bowled her over giving her a terrifying view on her immanent incineration. Just before the flames consumed her she found herself on the opposite end of the field, next to a rather dazed Marisa and Meiling. Sakuya was standing behind her.

Sakuya shook her head at the explosion. "Well that's a red card for sure." Sure enough several whistles followed that statement.

Meiling looked at the vaporized goal. "Thanks Sakuya, but wouldn't it have been a better idea to leave one of us and saved Cirno? That way they'd have lost Okuu for nothing."

"Oh!" Sakuya looked startled at the thought. "You're right. I guess I didn't think that through."

Marisa stood up shakily. "Don't think things through more often, Sakuya."

Reimu shrugged. "Doesn't matter. With Okuu out our plan's back in action. We're short of defense of course, but we might be able to win on offense. Let Aya and Hatate run themselves ragged. They'll get some goals of course, but after halftime we'll teach them."

* * *

As the clock struck 00:00 Yukari called out through the mike. "And that's the first half! Team Moriya has a strong lead at 3-0, thanks to the speed of their tengu players. Can team Hakurei grab some replacements to help fix this debacle, or have they already scraped the bottom of the barrel? The Yama's given both teams the right to recruit from the crowd, so it's still anyone's game folks!"

On the sidelines Reimu looked down at the small green fairy. "Cirno still hasn't reformed?"

"No." Daiyousei shook her head. "That hell crow blasted her too hard. She'll be out for another hour."

"Damn." Reimu looked around the stands. "Okay, you're filling in for Suika as planned. But with the yama's ruling we can't just toss in another Suika. Who can we get?"

Marisa patted her friend on the arm. "Don't worry. I've got a backup already."

"Can she play worth a damn?"

Marisa smiled brightly. "I think Youmu's going to get some help."

* * *

Shikieiki looked over the two new team. "So team Moriya will be replacing Reiuji and Suwako Moriya with Hinanai and another fairy eh?"

"That's right!" Kanako looked back at the celestial and the fairy slave. Tenshi gave a thumbs up. The zombie fairy bobbed it's head.

Shikieiki saw that the two were not being coerced (more then usual) and looked to the other side. "And the Hakurei team is fielding Daiyousei and Tatara?"

The small fairy nodded while Kogasa smiled brightly. "Urashimiya!"

"Very well. Of course you'll have to leave the sword of the heavens and that umbrella on the sidelines." The yama said.

Marisa shook her head. "Actually Yamada-san, the umbrella's part of her body. Karakasa ya know."

"That's right. In fact, the umbrella's the real me!" Kogasa said with a smile.

Her umbrella tongue attempted to lick Shikieiki, but the judge of paradise dodged. "Surprising. Hm... Very well, since that is your body you can enter with it. But remember my rules on split forms."

"What!" Sanae looked over at the youkai. "Oh man. And you can hit the ball with a tongue legally. At least, I think you can anyway..."

Aya and Hatate looked at each other. This would be an annoying obstacle to their normal passing style.

* * *

Reimu watched the aerial battle commence. Sure enough Kogasa's umbrella form was a serious thorn in the tengu's side. Every time they got too far apart in their passing patterns Kogasa's tongue would lash out and send the ball back to the ground, where Reimu's team had the advantage. Unfortunately the addition of Tenshi was tying up Suika, so they couldn't get any goals in. Reimu checked the clock again. It was earlier then she planned, but with the score as it was she didn't really have a choice. "Alright! Time to start the plan, team!"

Youmu was the first to act, summoning her ghost half into quasi reality, she moved to intercept both the tengu at full speed. Hatate passed to Kanako to help stall.

Except the ball never made it. Daiyousei blinked into existence halfway between the two and kicked the ball towards the goal. Momiji got ready for an easy catch, only to find Koakuma had appeared and kicked the ball back into the air. Reimu smiled, then used her own powers to shift next to the ball, catching it with a powerful bicycle kick.

Landing on the ground Reimu watched Momiji dive to catch the ball on her shield. Only to watch in shock as the ball changed directions suddenly, before flying into the goal. Only Sakuya's smug expression, and an ace of spades floating to the ground explained what had just happened to those who couldn't stop time.

Reimu smiled and covered her ears as the crowd went wild. As the celebrations died down a bit she yelled to Sanae. "Speed is nice, but I've got four teleporters. Do you think you can match that wind priestess?"

Sanae, surprisingly, smiled in return. "That's great Reimu. I was afraid this was going to be a blowout game. Now we can start to use our fun strategies.

Kanako laughed. "You didn't think we only had the one trick did you?"

Reimu shook her head slowly. "You know, for a moment there... I kinda did." Her grin twisted. "Let's see what you've got!"

* * *

Meiling watched the match with a close eye. Reimu's attack had gotten them three goals, but the Tengu weren't giving up, and Reimu's style of play was bringing the ball closer to the ground. That made it harder to determine where people were and where the ball was. At least it was also giving the weaker players a chance to actually interact with the ball.

Let's see, pass to Rin, pass to Aya, Intercept Kogasa. Back to Suika. Now let's check for...

Meiling blinked as the ball sped past her head into the goal. "What the hell was that" she yelled at the Oni. "This is OUR goal!"

Nue removed a paper Suika mask. "Yes. Yes it is."

Meiling sighed deeply. "I should have known that somehow Marisa would be responsible for my suffering."

"Don't worry about it Meiling." Sakuya said as she appeared next to the gatekeeper. "That trick will only work once, from what I've heard about the seeds of unknown form. Keep an eye out for the other tricks."

Meiling gave the field a once over. "I'll do my best, but I think I may need some help there. I can't do more then react."

"I'd help, but I'm busy with the offense. When we take the lead, I'll have Reimu reassign me to defense," Sakuya nodded, then disappeared again.

* * *

The next ten minutes were a hectic mess. The tengu managed to get one goal past her by ricocheting the ball off one of a zombie fairies, but Reimu's teleportation attacks racked up another two goals for her team, leaving the match at 5-5. Marisa checked the clock. Time was running out. She really didn't know what would happen with a tie.

Still over at the goal line it looked like Sakuya was going to make that moot with her kick. Momiji dove one way, Daiyousei knocked the ball the other way.

Then a keystone flew out of the ground and knocked the ball flying. Aya caught it, and passed it back to Kanako who fired it right across the field. Marisa started running after the ball, but slowed when she realized it was off target and no one was nearby.

Which made it all the more surprising when Koishi kicked the ball in the net.

There was a long silence.

Finally Yukari's voice came on over the speakers. "It seems that the powers that led to her mahjong finals win can serve well in football as well! 'Stealth' Koishi has once again come out of nowhere to put her team in the lead. The Yama is confirming that yes, she was on the field legally and yes the Moriya team does only have eleven players on the grounds. With only the clock running down, can team Hakurei pull off the tie!"

Reimu looked grim as they moved to put the ball back into play. "Anyone have a plan?"

"I got one Reimu." Everyone turned to look at Marisa. "Well you know how I like to steal techniques? I grabbed the perfect one for this."

Alice shook her head. "Marisa, even if you can escape the tengu swarm and get a shot off, there's no way you can power it through those keystones, much less Momiji."

Marisa smiled. "Trust me. It's not like we've got any other plan, right?"

Reimu paused. "Did you bet for or against our team?"

"For our team of course!" Marisa frowned at her old friend. "Do you really think I'd bet against myself!"

"That doesn't sound like Marisa at all," Youmu agreed.

Reimu sighed. "All right. It's our only chance. Get Marisa the ball."

"You won't regret this Reimu." Marisa jogged off to her starting point.

The match resumed. There was a brief scuffle over possession, decided by Sakuya's time hax, then Marisa found herself with the ball. Unfortunately there was also a wind priestess and two tengu there as well.

Which actually made the whole exercise easier.

Marisa smiled. "Hey Sanae. Ever seen a Jecht Shot?"

Sanae blinked. "What?"

Any further commentary was cut short by the sound of Aya gettting hit in the face with the ball. Marisa elbowed the ball back into Hatate, then headbutted the ball at Sanae, who had just started to jump to stop the technique. As the wind priestess crashed to the floor, Marisa sent the ball up into the air, then jumped after it while spinning. With the final spin she let off both a thundering kick, and the spell she'd been saving all day.

The ball zoomed through the air, then suddenly disappeared.

Tenshi just stood there confused. Momiji tried a blind catch but it was too late. The ball entered the goal just as the buzzer went off. And Marisa found herself lifted into the air by her teammates.

When the cheers had died down the two team leaders once again stood before the Yama. Reimu looked exhausted, while Sanae was on crutches to deal with the broken ankle she'd received from her fall during Marisa's final shot. "While I personally believe this to be a good ending spot for the game, it seems that those that organized the match are demanding a tiebreaker." The Yama looked at the two. "Do you need more time to find more members?"

Reimu looked over at Sanae. "Not unless you're planning on replacing someone other then you."

"No." Sanae shook her head. "In fact I really don't want to keep going either. Both of our players have shown so much spirit and drive. It would be terrible to force one side to lose."

"I think of you as a friend Reimu, not someone who needs to be conquered. You, Marisa, Aya, Momiji, Alice. All of you are my friends, and either team winning would cause you all pain."

Reimu looked embarrassed. "Well... Thanks. Maybe we could..."

"Which is why I'm doing this Reimu." Sanae said with a smile, as she swung one of her crutches at the other shrine maiden. Reimu's neck broke with a sickening crack.

* * *

"So after that, Shikieiki smacked Sanae over the head with her judgment stick and called the game. Then the riot started." Marisa put her tea down on the Hakurei shrine's back porch. "So while Eirin patched you up, there was a big fight, and the Yama declared the whole contest null and void."

Sanae smiled as she sipped her own tea. "See. Everything worked out for the best!"

Reimu clenched her fists, wishing she could choke the wind priestess. "'Worked out for the best!' You broke my neck! Even with Eirin's help I have to spend a week in this neck brace!"

Reimlia sipped her own tea before saying calmly, "I told you, Reimu. None of this would have happened if you just let me destroy the sun."


	8. Runners

I've gone through a lot of my more distinctly Touhou works from the contest, but there are also the crossovers and genre shift contests that have gone through. I felt hesitant about posting them, since it feels kinda like cheating when you aren't given it as a contest, but then I realized that was me being stupid. So I present the Touhou "spy" entry. With a healthy dose of cyberpunk.

* * *

The restaurant is a terrible dive. The lights are dim less to keep the atmosphere muted then to keep the customers from seeing how dilapidated the place is. All along the walls there are pictures and reviews talking about the place's older glories, but it's obvious those are long gone.

I guess I have a lot in common with the place.

The only good thing about the restaurant is its off corp net scanners, meaning you had to hack the place personally to get intel. And they have a couple of nice private rooms in the back, where people like me can talk business. Which is the main, scratch that, the only reason I'm here.

As I walk into the back room my ocular camera takes a few quick pics, then tosses them on the public net. There one of Hatate's little programs compares them to previous shots of the back room to find the differences. After about a millisecond, Momiji and I get the images back. Voila. We now know where all the hidden bodyguards are.

It seems like there are 4 this time. More then usual, but still within nominal limits. A proper runner doesn't visit their grandmother without an intel run, backup and an escape route after all.

Fortunately or unfortunately, my specialization is doing those intel runs. There aren't many people who actually know how to use their eye cams out there, at least outside of professional journalists. Hell, most journalists suck at it these days. The new kids don't know how to do any research outside the net. Not like us old timers.

"Now what," you may ask, "is a journalist doing making freelance black ops intel runs?" Well you see, I had to leave my old job because I did a very bad thing. I told the truth. You remember the story about Hakugyokurou causing the famine that killed New Dallas? The one that used facts, sources and proof? That's my work.

Of course I wasn't expecting my little journalistic hissy fit to go viral. But apparently some smart kid at SDM Enterprises saw a chance and pushed the thing all over the net. At which point I found myself being accused of crimes I didn't think were possible anymore, with a full battalion of corp bounty hunters on my tail. The type that think not being dead when they kick in the door is "resisting arrest."

So I trashed my SIN, went off grid and moved to Chinatown. Been working as a runner ever since.

Anyways since the room was mostly clean, Momiji and I take a seat down at the table to wait for "Mr Johnson" to show up. Momiji gives each of the hidden guards a glance, just to let 'em know we were still sharp, then she sets her katana down. She's the only muscle for our little group, but she's damn good at her job. I have no idea how she afforded her cyberware though. Sure wasn't from the security job I got her fired from.

We wait for a minute, then Hatate gives us the heads up, and our contact walks in.

When I see Sanae's face, I can tell something big is going down. Normally she's all smiles. Now she looks concerned. Last time I saw her like this, the job was doing an intel run for a revenge hit on some half assed kidnappers that'd popped a family member. I don't like those kinda jobs.

She sits down, nods once to both of us, then places a briefcase on the table. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but I've got a rush job."

This doesn't bode well. My pulse quickens a bit as I think through the possibilities.

Still I can tell by her posture that Sanae is in a hurry herself. So I decide to wait. First rule of interviews, hasty people make mistakes. And in this interview her mistakes can save my life.

To be clear, Sanae is one of my favorite job suppliers, if for no other reason then she doesn't have an obsessive need to hide from my camera. That sort of trust meant she isn't likely to shoot us all after a run, just cause. And that's always a good deal. But a contact never gives you all the info you need. It's a corp thing.

The seconds tick by. I'm good at waiting. Finally Sanae continues, "I'm not sure I really want to give this job to you. You've done a lot of good work for Yasuka corp, and I kinda like you. Well I like Momiji at least." Sanae manages a smile with that.

I snort, while Momiji smirks. Sanae sits up and says, "First off, I need you to understand, once I tell you this mission you can't refuse it. It's that serious. And if you fail it, you will die. So if you want to walk, walk now."

Most runners either walk out or jump at the offer here. Most runners are morons. I decide once again to wait. Or specifically to stall for time while Hatate looks up possible leads. "Can you tell us how much it pays without having to kill us?"

Sanae's smile widens a bit, but it quickly fades. "6.7 million nuyen."

I feel my throat tighten as I fight to keep from choking. I fail to keep my face straight that's for sure. From the corner of my eye I see Momiji actually start a little. That's 10 times the normal rate. I hope that Hatate and Nitori weren't drinking anything when they heard that.

However 6.7 mil doesn't mean anything to a dead guy. I push for more info. "If this is anything other then an intel grab no sell. With that kinda money you're better off hiring an assault team."

Sanae shakes her head. "It's an intel run. In fact if the intel is damaged the run is a failure. We need everything intact."

Finally Hatate comes through. The name "Eientei Associates" appears in my matrix view. It's a big biotech company, lots of cyberware stuff. Likely to have seriously dangerous security.

But then, I'm not the type to get caught.

Momiji gives me a slight nod, while Hatate and Nitori give their thumbs up over the net. I nod to Sanae. "We'll do it."

Sanae returns the nod, then flips open the briefcase to reveal a huge mess of paper documents. CDs are better in my mind, but paper is harder to steal via hacking. "We need some information from Eientei Associates within the week. We've got a map of their corporate net, as well as their direct login access points. You need to find these 5 files," Sanae shows me a card with 5 names, so I take a picture and save it to personal memory. "I've circled the most likely places for the data, but it could be anywhere. You need to get them and bring them here. I don't care what you do to the originals, just get us those files. Intact. Decrypted would be best, though we can do it ourselves if you get it to us a day early. Casualties are not an issue."

I have to ask, "What are those files."

"Something I'm sure you'd love to have on your blog." Sanae says simply. "In fact if you want to publish it go ahead. We don't care."

That sounds interesting. "It's hard to blackmail people when you've already released the material you know."

Sanae stands. "It's not about blackmail. It's about survival." As she walks away, she says, "I hope you can pull this off. Because if not, we're all going to be in trouble."

I'm a little worried by the dramatics, but not too much. Succeed or die has been the story of my life for the past couple of years. I've succeeded.

At least, so far.

Sanae'd clears the room, so Momiji grabs the case and we head out. As we pass the bar Hatate stands, pours her drink on the pants of the guy who'd been sitting next to her, and starts following us out.

I'm about to ask Hatate why she'd done that, when the stupid punk jumps up yelling something generally obscene and flips out a switchblade. As Hatate dashes past me, I turn to reach for my holdout piece. Then there are two cracks from a silenced pistol, and the punks brain decides to try to escape his head. I finish my turn but Momiji'd already reholstered her piece.

Wired reflexes are impressive things.

As me and the rest of the crowd stand about trying to think of what to do next, Momiji just flips the guy behind the bar a credstick. "Sorry about the mess." Then she puts her gun to safe, and goes back to walking.

There's a reason she gets the same share as I do.

I take a few photos of the still to know who we might have pissed off, then I walk away myself. As we hit the street I ask our resident decker, "Why'd you let that bozo get so close to you?"

Hatate rolls her eyes, then focuses back on her hacking, "Damn wannabe was making moves on me while I was working. Took my gasp at the pay dirt as being impressed with whatever the he was talking about. Stupid fuck couldn't tell I didn't give a damn about meatspace."

Kids. "And you call yourself a journalist..."

Hatate absentmindedly gives me a rude gesture. "I'm not a journalist anymore, remember Aya? I'm a hacker. Thanks to you."

'You were never a real journalist to begin with, Miss steal other people's photos,' is what I wanted to reply, but that would only start a fight. And while she's a shitty reporter, she's an excellent hacker. We need her to have any chance of success.

Besides she's the one who clued me in to the thug army coming to sift my brain for information with an icepick. And she'd gotten on the hit list because of it. I kinda owed her for that.

I check to make sure Nitori was actually in the car before hopping in. Pulled too many Taxi switches to fall for that crap. The little Rigger kicks her machine into gear as soon as we were all in. "So," she asks cheerily, "I bet you want to see Marisa, right?"

Nitori's always on the ball. "You called it."

"Why Marisa?" Momiji asks me.

"We need someone to help us with the security. There's no way it's all going to be online. Which means we need a thief," I explain.

Momiji considers the matter for a moment then shrugs. "Well considering the payout her usual fee won't be too bad."

Hatate pulls herself out of net mode long enough to add, "And we can get our cyberware checked while we're at it."

* * *

Marisa looks at the name on the card I flashed her and simply shakes her head. "Not interested."

"Eh?" Nitori pouts at her old friend, Marisa. "I thought you were willing to steal from anyone!"

"I'll steal from anyone, but only on my own timeframe," states Marisa simply. "There's no way you'll have the kinda info I'd want for a raid on Eientei in a week. I'd want a month of intel gathering before I stepped foot in the place."

Well this is information. Not the information I want but info none the less. "Why would you need that much time? What makes this corp special?"

Marisa frowns, probably considering whether or not she can skim a few nuyen off us. I won't budge of course, and while Nitori doesn't have much of a poker face, she didn't catch Marisa's wordless bribe request. Nitori's the only reason we met Marisa, but she still is terrible at reading the thief. Amusing how that works out. Of course Nitori's really terrible at reading anything other then traffic. But her engineering and driving skills are second to none.

Finally Marisa gives in. "The firm's biotech yeah, but military grade biotech. The way they do high security? They flood areas with bugs and chem agents and your clearance is they give you the antibodies and filters you need to not die. Heard they give their employees a warning when they enter secure areas cause they're polite, but anyone who'll use smallpox to keep you out of their filing cabinets is not to be fucked with."

Okay, this? This is bullshit. I'm good at being sneaky. Hell we're all good at being sneaky, but that's just ridiculous.

Then again, the way Marisa's talking maybe she has another option. Might as well give it a shot right?

"I don't suppose you know a way to get around this?"

I watch Marisa's face closely as she chews her lip. "I... know someone. Or rather Alice knows someone. But I can't make any guarantees. In fact it may be worse bringing her along then not."

Marisa claiming someone's trouble? They must be a saint or the devil themselves. Still... "Somehow I can't imagine taking her along would be worse then smallpox. Who is she?"

"Used to work for Eientei. She actually managed to get fired for ethics violations. Somehow," Marisa said.

Of course I konw better then to trust the official report on events. After all I had apparently 'advocated the violent overthrow of the government,' even though we don't HAVE a government anymore. "Real ethics violations or trumped up ones?"

"Real ones," Marisa sighs and shrugs. "Though I suppose she could have been the fall guy for a project that got blown to the public."

I consider some of the ethical violations I had committed in the last week and decide to take my chances. With an interview at least. We can deal with the rest later. "Could you set us up a meeting?"

Marisa reluctantly nods. "I'll ask Alice when she's finished jabbing electrodes in your friends."

I shake my head. "I'll never understand how those two can stand it."

For some reason Marisa and Nitori both give me an incredulous look. "You had people replace your eyes, Aya," Nitori says. "After the other two are done, you're going to have Alice stick needles in them to check for retinal damage."

"That's different. The eye cams are for real work."

* * *

The interview with Medicine went perfectly. The fact that she didn't show late was a mark against her, but she did sweep the room properly before heading to the booth the rest of the team was sitting at. Best of all the girl was all smiles. The best way to avoid suspicion is to look like you know what you're doing.

Seemed like I'd been right. She'd been the fall girl for one of Eientei's more questionable experiments. She was guilty as sin of course, but these days morality was a good way to get executed by internal security.

Hatate of course ran a background check, and we spent two days confirming she could be trusted on the run. But after she cleared out we had a new member, for the low price of 600k nuyen. Most payable on completion of course. Never run with someone who asks for more then 1/6 cash in advance. You want being sold out to the corp you're hitting to be a net loss.

One more trip to Alice's chow shop later we had new nose nanofilters and antibodies for a slew of diseases that's existence in weaponized form probably violated several of those old treaties.

Then came the hard part. Hitting the place.

* * *

"So that's the plan?" Medicine texts me as we sat in the subway. "Seems kinda simple."

"Simple is best kid," I text her back. "Especially with security this good."

Hatate nods while pretending to be engrossed in her matrix game of minesweeper. "The better the tech security the less likely people are to question those inside the security. Same with net stuff."

Momiji jerks her head slightly as she pretends to scan the subway for runners like us. I nod and go back to scanning recent medical reports. Corp security would be scanning the local net soon. They weren't supposed to, but only a moron thought they didn't. And it'd only get worse on the corps internal net. It was time to shut up.

Still Hatate was straight on. When she'd hacked the net to put our SINs in the big database of wage slaves she'd found there were only two notes attached to them, employee or executive. They didn't bother writing down who was cleared for what, figuring their agents would handle it.

Bet some bright eyed hacker kid thought that was a real slick way of keeping things simple.

As the train comes to a stop I take a deep breath and step on out into the human traffic jam, quickly followed by my "assistant," my "programmer," and my "security." I'd of course taken pictures of everyone when they were all dressed up in corp ware. I thought Medicine and I filled out the lab coats nicely, and I know Momiji would be getting more stares at her "natural assets" then at her mechanical aids. Hatate, of course, looked like her mom had forced her to wear the suit (it was Nitori actually) but it fit her hacker charm. I'm sure on certain message boards pictures of her would gain an appreciative following. Which is why I posted them.

Okay that's not the truth. I posted them to calm my nerves, because what was coming up is the most dangerous part of this whole mess.

I can't spare a glance behind me, as I walk through the crowds. A professional wouldn't do that. What I'm supposed to do was get in the security line, swipe my ID like a good like scientist, then walk on and start making money for the company.

So I get in line. I imagine for the regs it's dull as all out, but for me it's like walking on pins and needles. I try to pass the time by reading the scientific journals.

As I sort through the half truths, I wonder if Medicine is doing the same. Hatate's of course playing minesweeper, and Momiji probably is as well. Never did figure out where she'd got that habit.

Finally we get towards the front of the line. I frown in annoyance when the idiot in front of me swipes their card wrong and has to do it again. As the idiot sheepishly moves on I swipe my card properly, then walk through the detectors. The security man sees my gun of course, checks to confirm I'm allowed to pack it, then nods me through as he see's I'm legit.

As I walk through the outside matrix nodes shut off. That's the reason we have to go through this garbage of course. No corp let the outside net in their buildings. This isn't the old days when hackers like Hatate could waste a system from the comfort of their own home. You have to walk into the building and log in to their private network.

Finally I can look behind me. I can't go on without my support staff after all.

Medicine passes with flying colors. I was a little worried that someone might recognize her, but apparently her fall from grace had been a while back, and largely unreported.

Hatate's next. She pisses off the security guards with all her eye rolling and sarcasm, but that was standard for Hatate. When we'd started this line of work I'd worried about it. By now I just figured it was in character and let it slide.

Momiji just flashes her card and walks through. She knows exactly how far she can push her security outfit apparently, because the guards don't even blink. Seeing that everyone is all in line, I turn to face the hallways again. "Alright let's get to work. I want the samples all cataloged by lunch."

Medicine plays along smoothly. "Sure thing boss!"

"Just remember to let me get on net before you start dictating," Hatate says.

I start down the hallway while I pull up the special research article I'd prepared for this. Accessing a map would set off all kinds of flags, but a report on underground science work by famed renegade journalist Aya Shameimaru? That was good reading for a little corp worker bee like "Maya Sharon." The fact that the first letter of each paragraph happened to give me the directions I needed for the building? Well that was just gravy.

First thing I take a left through some vacuum sealed doors. A little pop up tells me that if I wasn't allowed into a Red clearance room I'd die horribly due to nerve gas if I didn't turn around. How thoughtful.

I ignore my hearts demands that it be allowed to run out of my chest, and passed the message on to my stomach as well. My face would only show boredom. I was allowed to be here. The only thing that was happening was that security was wasting a little more company time.

There's a decontamination blast, in case we were leaving I guess, then the inner doors open. I walk down the sterile white hallways, ignoring the random people in lab coats and suits walking around me.

I have to admit, I was very happy I didn't die horribly.

I keep ignoring everyone as I walk. They aren't important to my perfectly legitimate job. Let me see... Down the hall, take a left, down two flights of stairs. The reason my movements aren't perfectly smooth is because I'm one of those jerks that reads and walks at the same time. Not because I'm a spy. Just another boring coworker.

We enter another security gate. This time the pop up informed me that people without Gold clearance would die of weaponized Ebola. Fun. The decon blast hits us, then the inner doors open.

I make a mental note to thank Alice and Medicine later when I fail to die of Ebola.

The hallways here are still pure white, but there are a lot less people. Makes sense, we're entering more secure areas. Still the guards ignore us. Of course we have full right to be here, they think. We aren't dead after all.

Now if I could only tell my nerves to calm down as well I'd be the perfect spy.

This time Medicine takes the lead. Somehow she's still smiling.

First we go down a corridor with lots of steel grey lab doors. Then down an escalator. Straight down another empty hallway, then a left past the bathrooms. Another left past the water cooler, and down another long uninteresting hallway. Finally Medicine stops at an elevator and hits the down arrow. The doors open and we walk in.

Just as the doors start closing a security guy runs over and jams his hand in the door. The doors open again and my heart stops. But it starts again as I see the bored look on his face.

He hits the button for the floor above ours and gets off without saying a word. We all get off on the next floor.

The entire floor is secure, so right out of the elevator we hit a security gate. This pop up states that anyone without White clearance should just turn around. They didn't even bother telling you what you'll die of. If you're cleared for that you'll know what's not killing you, I guess.

The inner doors open. We walk in.

The halls are almost completely empty. My eyecams however pick up loads of hidden surveillance. This was obviously high security.

I turn towards Hatate, "Alright let's hurry up and get this done with. We have more important things to be doing back in the lab."

Hatate put on a terribly fake smile. "Of course Ms Sharon. If you want speed we'll need to get closer to the main signal."

I put on my best frown for the cameras. "Of course. Medea if you'd lead the way?"

Medicine isn't as quick on the uptake with her fake name, but I don't think the cameras will notice. "Uh, sure Maya. Let's go."

I follow Medicine as she heads off. I'm really glad we'd found her. Even with a map I was lost down here. And somehow I don't think the black clad security guards we were passing would give directions.

Finally we reach a door with an actual keypad. Hatate is busy setting up her programs still, so I take a quick pic of the room. The cameras appear in red, and then their range of view appear as well. I move to block off the cameras' view of the pin pad then plug myself in. A press of a button wakes the pad up and it generates random numbers on each key. I press in a random code and it beeps in protest as the code fails.

Of course when it checked the code it sent the correct code to my wares. I quickly punch in the code that popped up and slip the wires back into my sleeve as the door opens.

And everything goes to shit.

There's a woman inside. Purple hair, red eyes. Sleepy look. Uniform is obviously corp high end security. That's bad.

Her eyes open wide. "Medicine! But you got fired!"

That's worse.

The woman has her pistol halfway out, when Momiji springs through the door and takes a cut at the woman with her combat knife. The woman is fast though. She catches the knife hand at the wrist and draws her own blade, which Momiji catches at hilt with her armored gloves.

Medicine's dragged Hatate through the doors like a good girl, when I pull my own piece into play. Of course against people moving that fast I'm just an annoyance, but I pride myself at being a good annoyance.

The woman's already seen my gun and jumped back a full 4 feet and to the side when I pull the trigger. Sadly for her there's no bullet, but a massive flash.

Even full eye replacements can't handle that kind of strobe without blinking. She blinks.

Which is more then enough time for Momiji to draw her gun and empty the clip in the woman.

The alarms start blaring the very next second. I barely manage to roll through the doorway before the security door slams shut.

Momiji is already placing the explosives for our exit. Medicine is checking the security girls pulse, and Hatate is in her hacker trance. I wander over to Hatate first to see if I can get any idea on what's going on. Normally net fights are completely hidden until shit goes wrong. Fortunately, Hatate likes to talk to herself when hacking.

Sure enough she's muttering away. "Okay, black ice, no issue. The DDoS feints I set up should be keeping corp from getting reinfocement. Let the worm go do it's work and get ready for security. Oh there you are. Pretending to be a subroutine. Let's rock."

It sounds like Hatate has things under control, so I turn to Medicine. She's arranging the body now. I walk up to her. There's a journalist trick to asking very touchy questions, one that's served me well in this line of work too. "Was she a friend of yours?"

Medicine shook her head. "Not really, it's just, she was the one who helped me keep the money I needed to survive after getting fired, what with all the lawsuits and whatnot. She seemed like a nice person."

We manage to shoot the only nice person in the building. Wonderful.

"What was her name?"

Medicine wipes her eyes and says, "Reisen."

I nod. "I'll write up something good for her, okay."

Medicine looks away. "Seems wrong for the people who shot her to do that."

"Hey, if everyone agrees you were a nice person, the public will probably believe it."

Medicine just nods. Momiji's walks over and puts a hand on her shoulder.

After a few seconds she says, "They're going to realize that the nerve gasses they're pumping in aren't working soon. We've got maybe 2 minutes before they're here in force."

I stand up and walk back to Hatate. She's frowning now. "Damn! Double teaming's bullshit. Got 4 of five. Maybe I can... Got it! Disconnected bitch! Now to grab the last file..."

"We need to hurry," I say in the calmest voice I can manage.

"I'm downloading now it's just, SHIT!" Hatate stabs at her holographic keyboard then screams. I grab her as she convulses. Her pupils are wide and there's blood leaking from her nose. Dammit, everything was going fine until now!

"Pull out Hatate!" I yell.

Hatate takes a breath and sits up. "Just five seconds! Take that! Ha, formatted the bitch's brain. Okay security's gone, and the file is ours. Wait, there's an embedded ICE file! It's okay internal will clean it out just need to distract it for..."

I see her eyes widen in terror and I slam her decks shutoff switch. The whole thing shorts, and I scream as pain rips through my hand.

Hatate stiffens, then limply collapses into my arms.*

I quickly place her on her back and reach for a pulse. "Hatate! Hatate!" There's no response. Her eyes are blank.

I rip open my lab coat looking for the pocket difibulator. It takes me too long to find it, far too long, but I'm not going to give up. I place the pads on Hatate's chest and trigger the pulse. Nothing. I do it again. Nothing. Again! The piece of shit goes red. "I don't have time to recharge!" I scream at it.

A hand falls on my shoulder. I know what that means. All the energy leaves my body.

Fortunately Momiji does all the work that needs to be done. She pops the memory core out of the deck, then pulls the pin on an ID trash grenade and places it almost reverently on Hatate's chest.

The grenade goes off quietly, but Hatate's body catches fire almost instantly. A runners final sendoff.

I notice Medicine helping me up and I start pulling myself together. I don't have time to recognize the hole in my heart. I have to ignore it and move on, or we're all dead.

I still keep watching until the flames die down.

Then I give a nod to Medicine and look towards our escape route. Momiji'd already cut down to the abandoned storm drains that were our escape route. I guess I'd missed that. I can't afford to sit any longer, so I run to the hole and jump in.

It's a stupid move, but I manage to not twist my ankle somehow. Medicine drops down after, and Momiji is with us a second later. She takes the lead again as we started running down the tunnels.

A few seconds after we make it out the explosives we'd planted go off. The corp boys would have to find their own way into these tunnels.

With that blast done I switch to IR and shut off my flashlight. "Medicine, you have IR eyes?"

"No," the small red blob next to me said.

"Then take my hand. I'll guide you."

The small woman cautiously takes my hand, then catches it in a death grip as she turns off her flashlight. I hold on to her as well as I can, then follow Momiji down the cool blue storm drain.

We run for about ten minutes, taking turns seemingly at random. The map in my system however told us we were on course.

Then, as we round a corner, the place explodes in light.

My eyes immediately switch to normal vision, just in time to see muzzle flashes start. I dive for cover and Medicine gets separated from me. Probably for the best, since people are trying to tag me with tracers. I pull out my flash gun, and shoot off a strobe followed by a quick pic.

There's a bit more gunfire, then silence.

"Clear," says Momiji.

I flip on my light and confirm that all the targets are down. "Nice work catching them before they could move from those spots." Then I look behind to see where Medicine is.*

She's lying on the ground. Even in the terrible light I can see blood spreading out.

We're both over there in a flash. It looks bad. Really bad. Her eyes are unfocused. Momiji pulls out some quick bandages, while I grab her hand. "Hey Medicine, I'm right here, just hold on a bit okay?"

Her eyes seem to move towards my voice and she smiles. "Oh... good. I thought... I'd gotten lost, again."

Then she slowly goes limp.

I wipe my eyes as Momiji arranges her neatly and closes her eyes, then pulls out another grenade. I promise myself her family would get her cut, if she had any. She'd guided us true.

We stand next to the blue flames until they finally die down, no matter how stupid it may be.

This time it's my turn to bring Momiji back to the mission. I place my hand on her head, and she stands quickly and starts running again. Her pace is more brutal now, but I can take it. Especially since I want to live.

We make it out of the storm drains without any more incident, and hop into the real sewer. Then it's just a few more blocks until we head up, popping up in an alleyway. We run to the end of it and catch Nitori pumping the meter full of creds. Her eyes grow wide as we run up to her. "Where are the others?"

"Gone," I mange to say. "We need to go. Now."

Poor Nitori looks heartbroken, but she jumps in the car fast as she can. Momiji gets into the back and helps me get in as well, before Nitori peals off. I doubt there will be any more pursuit, but we're still going to lie low for a bit.

Nitori obviously wants to know what went down, but I'm in no state to tell her. Later I'll write it up like a proper reporter. But now...

I look over to where Momiji's inspecting the data core. "I hope whatever is in there is worth it," I say.

Momiji simply shakes her head. "Nothing was worth that," she says.

I look at Hatate's empty seat, then think on Medicine's smiling face and close my eyes. She's right.

* * *

We hide for another day before signaling the drop off. Without Hatate we can't decrypt the files so I want to pass them off early.

I still feel like shit, and given the whimpering Momiji was doing in her sleep, so does she. Nitori just spent the whole day crying. I wished I could have let her talk it out with Marisa, but until the run was over that was far too dangerous. For both of us.

Nitori solemnly drives us to the meeting place, and Momiji and I get out. The restaurant is still a shitty dive when we come in. But at least no one cared we'd shot someone there before. We head to the back room.

I realize something is wrong the second we open the door. My mind makes the connections immediately. Sanae's already there, and the corp goons are standing in the open. I move to shut the door and run, when pain exploded in my kidney. Like someone say, slammed the barrel of a gun there.

I get the hint, and allow the man behind me to steer me with the gun to one of the chairs. To my disappointment Momiji ends up in the chair next to me.

I open my mouth to say something harsh to Sanae, but then I see the fear and pain in her eyes. She didn't sell us out.

"So how'd you find us?" I ask casually.

"Simple. We just made some guesses from the camera information. You use this place as a drop point far too often." A figure walks in from behind us. An older woman. My mind matches her face to some press releases. Eirin Yagokoro, IntSec of Eientei.

"Sorry about that mistake," Sanae says to us. I give her a friendly nod. Have to keep my cool. It's all I got left.

Eirin's eyes unfocus a bit as she checks some messages, then she sits down in her own chair, sadly out of arms reach. "So now that we've dealt with your friend, we can get down to business."

A cold emptiness began to fill me again. I try to shake it off. Nitori was good, and getting an ambush set up would be harder outside. She might have made an escape. "Well, if you want my personal opinion Ms Yagokoro, that red and blue striped tie makes you look like a tool."

Pain erupts in my head as the thug behind me pistol whips me. Tears sting my eyes. Eirin just smiles, the smug bitch. "I'm more concerned about why you went after those files, and where the backups are. If you'd be so kind to tell me."

Sanae shrugs. "You know why we want the files. We were going to use them to destroy you. Or at least keep you hiding from the press so you couldn't pull that little hostile takeover."

Eirin sighs. "How plebian. I suppose I shouldn't have expected much better." She pulls out her own pistol. "Still they could cause problems." She turns to us. "Where's the data and your backups?"

"If we tell you are you going to let us go?" I ask sarcastically.

Eirin gives that smug smile again. "Sorry, we find that killing people that target us is a good deterrence. However, your friend here," she waves the pistol absently at Sanae, "could be left alive. She'd have to go to prison of course, but that's better then dead."

"Having infiltrated a prison I can say that's not true for you corp weaklings," Momiji says. The guy behind her slams her face into the table, but Momiji doesn't seem to care.

Eirin ignores the violence and simply nods. "Well there's also the fact that I'll torture you if you don't tell me. Normally bodies with "signs of torture" are as good a deterrent as bodies of people you actually tortured, and much safer. But Reisen was a close personal friend of mine, so in this case I really tempted to make an exception."

Momiji gave a sigh. "Well if you want a bit of a hint, you should fire your security."

I look over at Momiji and see her giving her special 'I'm gonna do something awesome' stare. It gives me a bit of hope.

Eirin must have missed it though, because she plays right along. "Why is that?"

"Because they can't tell the difference between your corp boys' second rate kidney bombs and my room clearer."

Eirin drops her pistol, while Sanae and I just stare. Who knew Momiji'd been wandering around with the ability to waste the whole room with an errant thought?

Finally Sanae smiles. "I always did like you Momiji."

The goons finish playing catchup to the conversation and start to panic. A few run for the door, but the latch is a bitch. They won't make it.

Eirin snaps out of it and gives us a nod of respect. Then she pulls another pistol. I guess she figures it's better to die shooting then sitting.

Me? I want a question answered. I turn to my friend. "So Momiji, where did you get the money for all that fancy gear?"

She smiles broadly. Biggest smile I've ever seen on her face. "I'll tell you later."

"Bitch."

I can't help but chuckle.

Eirin's pistol goes off with a crack, and I dump my final memories into the net as the room explodes.

That's a runner epitaph after all.


	9. El Día de los Muertos

I was going to toss up the other alternate setting fic I had, but given this is the day after the date in question I couldn't help but post this one first.

* * *

Remilia paced in the moonlight.

It was terribly unladylike. She should have been sitting calmly waiting for her maid, but her blood itched with power. She couldn't bear to be still.

There were some downsides to being a western style youkai in an eastern land. Usually it didn't matter. The full moon was the full moon, new years day was new years day, and every culture had some kind of harvest festival. But this month the bonds of that annoying faith made her blood burn.

Halloween was coming up. And every devil that had been touched by distant Europe would be bubbling with power.

The worst part was she couldn't enjoy it. Halloween made Remilia incredibly antsy, but it made Flandre outright drunk with power. Koakuma as well, but that was Patchouli's problem.

Flandre was normally a good sister, really. In fact she'd been getting better and better. But on Halloween she'd become an unstoppable thirsty terror.

Which is why for the last 450 some odd years Remilia had gone and picked a fight with Flandre on October 30th. And they would proceed to beat each other into bloody smears, get scraped up by Sakuya, then spend Halloween and the utterly miserable All Saints Day regenerating.

Remilia hated it, but it was a fate that she couldn't change.

She sighed, dropped back into her seat, and began skimming some books she'd borrowed from the library. Then an idea hit her.

She couldn't change that fate, but maybe she could help soften the blow.

She put the book down, then opened her eyes wide calling upon her powers. Her vision blurred. She saw the myriad of paths before her. Ones where nothing changed, ones where things got worse...

And a few, just a few, where things got a little better.

Remilia grabbed at one of those futures... and found a book in her hands.

"Planning something mistress?"

Remilia looked up to find Sakuya standing there waiting. She'd obviously gotten there a while back, because Remilia could smell her sweet blood lingering in the air.

Remilia shuddered. Perhaps Flandre wasn't the only one who needed to be sequestered on Halloween.

Shaking off that worry she turned back to the book. "Indeed. I was thinking of doing something different this year." She opened the book to find out exactly what she would be planning.

Then she slowly smiled.

"We'll be having a party on the 2nd Sakuya," Remilia said slowly. "The second on the Gregorian Calendar of course. Invite everyone. And send a special invitation to the puppeteer. We'll need her for the festivities."

Sakuya nodded. She was used to getting strange (and occasionally impossible) orders from her mistress. "What exactly will this party be about?" she asked.

Remilia smirked as she showed the book to Sakuya. "Elementary my dear maid. We will be celebrating El Día de los Muertos."

Sakuya blinked at the page. Remilia was almost certain her maid stopped time to talk a good long look at the book, but she couldn't prove anything.

"I see. Will your sister be invited as well?" Sakuya asked hesitantly.

"Of course," Remilia said simply. "She should be healed up as well, right?"

Sakuya coughed lightly. "Indeed. However she might still bear a grudge..."

Remilia winced. "Ah. Add that immortal girl to the list of required guests. Offer her a new set of clothing in exchange for her help."

Sakuya bowed. "Of course my lady. Any other particulars?"

Remilia thought for a moment. "Oh right, I want to write an outline for the puppet show myself."

Suddenly there was a pen, inkwell and several sheets of parchment before her. "Thank you, Sakuya. You may take the rest of the night to start the preparations."

"Thank you Mistress," Sakuya disappeared.

However Remilia could hear her voice in the air muttering, "Where am I going to find a mariachi band in Gensoukyo?"

* * *

Hatate'd never been inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion before. She'd mainly used spirit photography to capture the events that had gone on inside there. It was safer then fighting that crazy maid. But recently that annoying hack Aya had pointed out the weakness of that technique. She needed to cover these events personally. Though with a little more journalistic integrity then her rival.

Fortunately the gate guard had accepted her press credentials after a bit of consultation. They'd forced her to wear a stupid hat with a press card tied to the ribbon above the brim, but she made it to the party with no fuss.

And she was very glad she did.

The display was incredibly macabre, even for a place called the Scarlet Devil Mansion. She'd been hoping for foreign flash, and here it was!

Flowers and skulls covered the room in a riotous display. After a bit of inspection, Hatate was pretty sure the skulls were real too. Pictures of skeletal figures had replaced the usual art. Here and there crosses stood out, usually intricately designed, and hung with wreaths of flowers.

Meanwhile in the massive ballroom itself, fairies wearing skull masks and elegant dresses flitted about, occasionally carrying plates of food and drink, usually on a bed of flowers. Drinks that Hatate couldn't place sat beside candies and breads shaped like skulls, and foods that looked like eggrolls.

At the far end on the room a small band played music on the western harmonic scale. Hatate found it as lively as anything the Prismrivers played, and more folksy then their concertos. Still it was fairly intricate music. Hatate took a quick snapshot of the group, and wandered over to interview them. She wanted to know how Sakuya had gotten them there and why they weren't panicking.

Unfortunately she was intercepted. "Sorry, but they're not taking interviews," Yukari said, stepping in front her her.

Hatate considered briefly pushing the matter, but she didn't want to get kicked out just yet. "Then perhaps you could explain their presence, Miss Yakumo?"

"Oh it's simple. I brought them here with my power. Of course I told them they were performing at a very rich costume party, but that's neither here nor there," Yukari said with a smirk. Then she sighed. "But sadly the maid accepted my payment demand all too easily. I guess I should have asked for more."

Hatate punched in notes. "I see, and what was this payment?"

"You'll find out. Now go circulate little fledgling," Yukari said with a flick of her fan. "Go make Aya self conscious about her age."

"Whatever," Hatate said as she wandered off. She hated when people pointed out her age. She was almost 300 years old. Not a kid like Youmu or the humans.

Still she should enjoy the party. She grabbed one of the candied skulls, as she started to wander the crowd. The candies didn't have any human in them, but they were pleasantly sweet. They matched the slightly bitter chocolate drink very well.

Scanning the crowd she saw Aya over with some of the other big name Tengu and exchange glares with her. She moved on and took a picture of Flandre as she made a rare public appearance. She seemed to be talking with Koishi, Medicine and Yamame, everyone else having quietly fled her presence.

Similarly no one was approaching Satori except the animal youkai. Strangely that appeared to include Nazarin, Shou and Ran in addition to the usual suspects. It seemed even animal youkai that approached divinity were still animal youkai.

Finally she snapped a picture of Youmu trying to pull her ghost half away from the flowers. "Wonder why that's happening?" she muttered to herself.

"She's stuck because the flowers are placed to draw the spirits of the dead."

Hatate turned to find the mountain's wind preistess looking at her with a smile. Hatate gave a nod to Sanae and started typing into her cellphone. "I see. So what else can you tell me about this outside world event?"

Sanae laughed lightly. "Ah, I'm sorry. I just know about this because of a class we had on events similar to the Obon festival around the world."

"Oh. So you don't know anything more?" Hatate asked. She didn't expect much out of the priestess but there might be something she could make into a story...

Sanae thought for a bit. "Well I did hear something about why they have lots of skulls around, but that's a scary story," Sanae said as her voice fell to a fake whisper. Hatate assumed it was intended to be frightening, so she played along.

"Really? Well perhaps some of the braver readers would like to hear about it."

Sanae looked both ways in an exaggerated manner before continuing. "Apparently the Aztecs used to keep the skulls of the defeated as trophies, and they brought them out to show on the day of the dead." Hatate must not have kept her boredom off her face because after a moment Sanae continued. "Um, and they practiced human sacrifice! They believed they needed to sacrifice people to get the sun to rise. So they took prisoners to the top of their giant temples, and cut them open! Then they pulled out their still beating hearts as a sacrifice." Hatate typed furiously into her phone as Sanae's voice sunk to a whisper. "And I heard they ate the victims afterwards."

"Oh man! These Aztecs sound totally awesome!"

Hatate jumped slightly at the voice beside them. Turning she saw the kassha staring at them with open admiration.

"So those step like buildings on the pictures on the walls, were those the temples? And they worshiped the sun? What kind of clothes did their priestesses wear?" Hatate could almost swear she heard the Kasha purring.

Sanae looked at the kassha in confusion. "Um, they didn't have priestesses I don't think..." Then her face turned to understanding. "Wait, you are NOT setting this up in the underground! That's not a proper ritual for the Yatagarasu!"

"Aw, you're no fun sis. I'll ask the magician."

"No you won't!" Sanae cried while bringing her gohei down on Orin's head. The kassha yelped. Hatate of course snapped a picture. "Besides what makes you think she'd be willing to help you?"

The kassha rubbed her head. "Well they obviously aren't that picky. I mean they got two thrones worth of skulls here."

Sanae and Hatate both looked around. "I don't see any skull thrones," Hatate stated. "Just the ones on the walls."

"Wait, those skulls are real?" Sanae asked with wide eyes. Hatate just gave the shrine maiden a look. Surely humans could recognize their own skulls right?

Rin rubbed her head. "Thrones are how you count skulls of course. 91 skulls to a pile, 3 piles to a throne."

Hatate blinked at the kassha, then headed off to find a story people would believe. Behind her she could hear Sanae saying, "I've never heard anyone use that measurement before, and who actually make's a throne out of skulls?"

Seeking something a little more reasonable Hatate angled for the drinks. As she reached the first table she overheard Wriggle yelling at one of the fairies, "What do you mean they drown a poor larva in the bottle? Why would you do that!" She decided to just take a picture and move on.

The next table looked more promising. It seemed like a collection of hard liquors, given the small size of the glasses. Hatate grabbed the one that said Fire God. It had a strange odor, unlike any plant she'd come across before. Shrugging, Hatate threw the drink back.

The taste of the liquor was strange, though Hatate could tell it was strong. Not that it mattered much to a Tengu like her. She waited a second for the aftertaste.

Then sputtered as her mouth seemed to catch fire. She looked around, and on finding a glass of water proceeded to drain the whole thing. There was a brief respite, but then things only seemed to get worse.

The white haired immortal walked in front of her with a malicious smirk. "Hah. Looks like you fell for it. Here, this'll help a bit." She handed Hatate some of the flattened bread that had been part of most of the dishes. Hatate stuffed it into her mouth. It didn't taste great, and the pain didn't really go away, but it was at least reduced.

After she'd finally finished swallowing the food, she looked up at Mokou. "What the hell did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. That drink's called fire god because they mix it with some kind of spice. Jalapeno I think they call it," Mokou snickered. "Though I do admit that it's amusing seeing a Tengu finally find a human drink they can't take."

"I was just surprised, that's all," Hatate said. "Next time I'll be ready!"

"So you want another shot?" Mokou asked with a grin.

Hatate hoped her face didn't show her stomach's rebellion at the thought. "I want to be able to taste the rest of the food being served."

"Of course," Mokou said with her irritating smirk.

Hatate was about to get away from the annoying human when the lights suddenly dimmed, except those around a decently sized puppet stage. "Presenting the Margetroid Puppet Theater Troupe, and the Many Faces of Death"

As the room stood quietly the curtains parted to reveal a startlingly accurate background of the Hakurei shrine. With a puppet figure that looked almost like Reimu sweeping the steps. Almost in that in addition to being only about a foot tall, the doll had a horrible oni mask for a face.

The crowd laughed as the tiny oni miko chased off a Rumia doll (that looked twice as innocent as it had any right to) by whacking it with a broom. Then the miko went to bed, and a skeleton faced figure in black robes holding a scythe tiptoed in.

It moved to the side of the bed gave the crowd a lave and a silent laugh, then whacked the oni miko with the scythe. The room exploded in laughter again, as Reimu yelled out, "Hey! What's the big idea!"

"Since when did death have such a big rack?" asked Hatate quietly.

"You've seen Komachi right?" Mokou replied.

The backdrop fell away to reveal a forest scene, this time with a familiar figure in purple standing about. The mini Yukari proceeded to steal a bottle of sake, beat a cute Ran puppet with her parasol, then was crushed by a falling moon to the laughter of the audience. Laughter that quickly turned to boos when two Lunarians appeared on top of the moon to wave, then to cheers when the death figure slammed down a plunger and blew the moon up.

The scenes continued, with a Marisa puppet pickpocketing a stick of dynamite off death, a Eirin puppet drinking a potion with a skull and crossbones on it (helpfully placed their by a rabbit eared death), and an Aya puppet getting tarred and feathered before being carted off by death. Hatate got a good laugh out of the last one. The recipients of course reacted with varying degrees of enthusiasm. No one seemed to care enough to stop the show though.

Finally the backdrop changed to the SDM itself, where a familiar vampire tossed about fairy maids and acted generally spoiled. Then the death poked it's head in and pulled a lever sending the little vampire doll down a trap door. Remilia's "What!" only caused the crowd to laugh louder as the curtain fell, the lights brightened, and Alice stepped out to make a bow.

"What was that?" Remilia repeated. "Didn't Sakuya give you a script!"

Alice shrugged. "Yes, and I followed it."

The human maid appeared behind her mistress. "I altered the script slightly my mistress. After all, it would be unseemly to leave you out of the performance since all the other major players in Gensoukyo were involved." Hatate could see Yukari hiding her amusement in the back.

Remilia's face blanked. Then her eyes narrowed. She realized she was getting played, but the logic was unshakable, from Remilia's point of view anyway. "Very well, carry on."

Hatate chuckled again as she punched in a few more words to her notes. "This is excellent. Never thought I'd get to report on Aya's humiliation so directly."

Mokou's chuckle reminded Hatate that the immortal was still present. "Heh. You're pretty young, aren't you kid? Two, three hundred years old would be my guess."

Hatate briefly wondered how the human had known but she shook that off. "What are you acting so smug about human? That's still longer then your race usually lives."

"Yeah, but you're still younger then me kid. Always will be." Mokou sighed and grabbed a beer off the third drink table. "And, Aya wasn't humiliated there. All you other reporters were."

Hatate frowned. "What are you talking about. They killed her on stage for laughs."

"Exactly." Mokou smiled. "That means she's the most important reporter in Gensoukyo. You don't rate being offed in effigy."

"That doesn't mean she's good, that means she's a jerk." Hatate pointed at where Gensoukyo's oldest magician stood, "Byakuren's pretty powerful, and people wouldn't laugh if she was one of the featured characters."

Mokou nodded. "You're right there. Byakuren's not loved by all, but people aren't that annoyed by her." Mokou raised a finger. "But Byakuren's a priestess. You're a journalist. It's your JOB to piss off the people in power." Mokou waved her hand across the room. "And we're the people with power, to some degree."

Hatate opened her mouth, then closed it. She wasn't sure how to reply.

Mokou smiled a little more kindly this time. "Well you'll figure it out for yourself. Or maybe you'll prove me wrong. Whatever. Anyway I'm going to go celebrate life and death by killing the princess a couple of times, so if you'll excuse me..."

Hatate watched as Mokou grabbed the bottle of Fire God and strolled off towards the Eientei crew to deliver a spicy alcohol related death to her eternal foe.

Hatate wondered about the humans words. What was the point of her journalism? What were her words supposed to convey? The Great Tengu printed basic happenings. Aya printed mostly trash interviews with unique headlines and perfect pictures. And Hatate... she printed, well a newspaper based on research. Where did that put her?

She looked over her notes and realized that she was just repeating what had happened again. She looked over to where her rival was chatting with Flandre Scarlet. Aya wouldn't just repeat how there was a puppet show and strange foods like all the other Tengu in the room would. She'd make something up. Something new and different. If Aya had her notes she'd go write a story about Orin's plan to revive the Aztec sacrifices. Or about Yukari's little deal with the maid.

She was just about to go pump Orin for more ideas when a pale figure moved in front of her. "Hello Miss Tengu," Yuyuko said cheerily. "So do you find this festival fun?"

"Yeah. It's pretty nice. It makes me forget I'm working sometimes."

"Ah, that's good." Yuyuko hid her smile with her fan. "Well hopefully you'll find something related to the topic at hand. It's so easy to get distracted by the side details, that the reason for the festival becomes a surprise when it's brought up again."

Hatate blinked, then looked around again. Yuyuko's words rang true. In her haste to fix the mistake Mokou had pointed out, she'd forgotten the reason she was here. There was no part in coming here to make an article if she didn't fit the scene. "Hm... You're right. The story should be about death. Youkai are fascinated by death. But the people here aren't likely to die. Not sure I could get a story out of that."

"Very good. And don't forget, humans are fascinated by death as well. After all, they created this holiday on their own." Yuyuko's smile became a little more melancholy. "Sadly I can't offer you suggestions myself. I've forgotten about my death. But some others haven't."

"Anyway have fun Miss Tengu. And do send me a copy of your paper." Yuyuko waved and flew towards one of the appetizer plates. A small number of marigolds tumbled after her. Apparently she drew the flowers to her, instead of the other way around.

Hatate sighed and thought things over again. She wanted to learn from Aya's success, but she didn't want to fall into trashy journalism. What could she do?

Her eyes flitted about the room until she saw one figure. A figure that tied everything neatly together in her mind. She quickly moved across the room to catch the woman before she got sucked into another conversation.

"Excuse me Miss Hijiri? Hatate Himekaidou, Kakashi Spirit News. We've met before."

Byakuren looked up at her with some surprise. Then recognition. "Indeed. I do recall you. What can I help you with?"

Hatate took a deep breath. "Well, I was thinking about what to write about this festival. And since this festival is honoring the dead, I decided my readers would want to hear about the lives of some of the people who had passed on from those who knew them. So I was wondering if you were willing to tell me about your brother?"

Byakuren froze. When she recovered she said, "Um... Well, there's a lot of work on his life already written down. A historian would be of more use really."

Hatate shook her head. "I'm not interested in the history really. I wanted to hear your personal thoughts, if you're willing to tell me."

Bayakuren chewed her lip for a moment, then slowly gave a weak smile. "I'm not sure if it'll be interesting, but I'd like to tell you all the same, if you don't mind?"

Hatate nodded and began writing, as Byakuren started telling stories about her brother. Not the stories of mystical feats or timeless wisdom. But the time he tripped from a discarded mop, or when one of the senior monks taught him something he'd overlooked. She smiled slightly as a crowd began to form. Perhaps this would be a fitting report for the "Day of the Dead."

And if that failed she could still put the kassha story on page two.


	10. Poem for a lost soul

Another alternate setting, and the last file I have in reserve, since the contests are on hiatus while everyone goes insane writing for NaNoWriMo.

I swore I'd never write this. But I can't be restrained by common sense right?

* * *

[i]"Man, that fairy was strong. I wonder..."[/i]

Marisa swore as the alarm went off ripping her out of her dreams. She backhanded the thing quickly and felt relieved when it finally shut up. She was just going back to sleep when someone poked her.

"Time to get up Marisa."

Marisa muttered something that high school students weren't supposed to say and moved away from her tormentor. It didn't help. "Don't make me actually hit you with this stick. I'm suffering too because of your lazy ass, so get up and get ready for school."

Marisa sighed then forced herself upright. "Mrghph~." She blinked for a few moments before recognizing her roommate Reimu. She briefly wondered why the hell she bothered waking up this early in the morning. Then she remembered if she failed out she'd have to go back home and live with her old man. That finished waking her up.

She yawned then stood. "Thanks Reimu. Sorry about waking you up early when you don't have morning duties."

Reimu shrugged and moved to the kitchen where she started preparing a bento. "It's okay. I need to tend the local shrine anyway. I think a mouse has moved in or something."

Marisa stretched a few more times then tossed on her school uniform. She'd stuck to the simple black dress and white half jacket that she favored, with a couple of star clips for her hair. Ryuumonbuchi High School was terribly relaxed about uniforms, but Marisa wasn't all that standoffish. Besides she wasn't ultra rich like most of the girls.

She had no idea how Reimu got away with wearing her old red and white school uniform. Maybe because the school knew she was too poor to get something that actually met the school's standards. Maybe because the teachers were too cowed by the student council to actually try enforcing the rules. Still the clothes seemed to fit the school's resident scholarship girl.

When she'd finished adjusting her ribbons Marisa grabbed a pastry from her cabinet and ran for the door. "I'm off," she called to Reimu as she kicked on her shoes.

"See you later!" came Reimu's reply.

Marisa jogged the route to school, not because she was late, but because she just felt like running today. Maybe it was because she felt energetic because of that dream.

What had that dream been about anyway?

Marisa shook her head. She had to keep focused on the path. The trails here were maintained decently well, but there was still the chance you'd trip on a root or something.

The high school dorm building was located across the park from the high school itself behind a small forest. Marisa thought the design was pretty neat. That way when you got 'home' you could still forget about school, instead of having the place staring at your window all day. Apparently the college dorms were similar.

Soon however she was past the forest and coming up on the school building. For all the school's money, it was designed in the same boring way as most other schools were. Maybe it was so the students would have an easier time remembering where everything was. Aside from the fourth floor that contained the club rooms, it was the same as middle school after all.

Marisa passed through the front doors and quickly swapped her shoes when she heard voices at the stairwell. That was odd. She was certain only Izayoi and her had class duty today.

Marisa wandered over to find Izayoi standing at the foot of the stairway, looking at it like it was a puzzle that stood between her and treasure. The reason for that was readily apparent. Next to Izayoi sat Konpaku Youmu of 2-C in her wheelchair. Behind her was the white haired janitor that Marisa had always found odd.

Izayoi of course noticed her arrival immediately. "Ah, Kirisame. Could you help us here. We need to get Konpaku here up the stairs."

The short haired girl sank slightly into her wheelchair. "Sorry to bother you. It's just the staff elevator is broken, and well..."

The janitor patted Konpaku on the head. "My fault for not checking it at the end of the day. I promise you it'll be up by lunch."

Konpaku still seemed embarrassed but Marisa figured she knew what to do. "Don't worry about it. We're happy to help. Let's see, we need you and the chair to go up, so!" Marisa stepped forward and gently picked Konpaku up off her wheelchair. "I'll take you and the others can bring up the chair."

Konpaku normally pale countenance flushed crimson as Marisa pulled her body in close for balance. "Um! That's not! I mean! That is..."

Marisa simply winked at the girl. "Like I said don't worry. I'm just taking the best job."

The janitor laughed lightly, while Sakuya just rolled her eyes. "Typical Kirisame. You grab the girl and leave us to actually work." Still the two grabbed Konpaku's wheelchair and began following Marisa as she went up the stairs.

Konpaku sputtered for a couple of steps, but then she just grabbed a hold of Marisa and blushed. As she went up the stairs with the girl, Marisa was surprised at how light she was. It was almost like she was only carrying half a person.

That was an odd turn of phrase. Marisa wondered why she'd thought of it.

At the top Marisa turned and waited for Izayoi and the janitor to finish bringing up the wheelchair. After she was sure it was set down and braced properly Marisa carefully set Konpaku down in it. "There you go. Another problem solved, courtesy of Marisa Kirisame!"

"Oi, don't steal all the credit for yourself kid," the janitor said with a half smile. She adjusted her cap then started walking down the stairs. "Still, thanks for your help. You too maid girl. I'll be getting to work on the elevator. See you later Youmu." And with a causal wave back she was gone.

"Thank you Miss Fujiwara." Konpaku called out before turning her wheelchair to face her fellow classmates. "And thank you Kirisame and... um..."

"Izayoi Sakuya," Izayoi said. "And think nothing of it."

"Thank you," repeated Konpaku before starting off towards her own class.

Marisa and Izayoi turned and started walking towards their own class building. "Nice girl. Shame she's so frail. I wonder if she has to come early every day just in case something like this happens?"

Sakuya frowned. "I would hope not. It seems incredibly unfair."

The two girls wandered into their classroom and began tidying things up. After a few moments Marisa said, "You know, your uniform does look kinda like a maid uniform, Izayoi."

Sakuya shrugged. "I suppose. I'm surprised it took so long for you to notice though. Everyone except you and Hakurei mentioned it first day."

Marisa thought on the matter a while. "I guess it just suits you."

Sakuya smiled brightly. "Thank you."

School progressed normally from there. Reimu showed up just as the bell rung, like she always did. The only real change was when Physics rolled along. The entire class sat up a little straighter when instead of their normal teacher a girl only a little older then them walked into the room. She quickly walked over to the chalkboard and wrote "Yumemi Okazaki" on it before turning to the class. "I'll be filling in for Tanara-sensei while he goes to visit his daughter. Let's get a few things out of the way quickly. First call me Yumemi-sensei, yes I am at teacher at 19, no you can't date me, and yes I am insulted to be forced to teach High School students instead of at the University level."

Yumemi brought her hand down on the desk with a sharp crack, silencing the whispers that had started up. "Anyway we'll be starting on Astrophysics now. Most of what you'll be learning is simplified junk, but you'll need to understand it before I can explain the higher principles of the field to you, so you can help me put all those ignorant fools in their place about magical energy sources."

There light laughter sweeped the classroom at that but Yumemi just grinned evilly. "So pay attention class. I'm going to pack two grade levels into this semester."

Marisa groaned along with the rest, and sharpened her pencil in anticipation of the note taking frenzy. Fortunately she'd always been good with math. She was terrible at remembering the formulas, but once she had a formula it was all simple.

Still something about the way Yumemi had said magic struck a chord with her. I rambled around in her head, familiar yet just out of reach. Like chorus to a song that you can't remember the rest of the words to.

Marisa massaged the sore muscles of her writing hand. "This sucks. I'm going to end up with callouses for sure," she said to Reimu.

Reimu just shrugged. "You should hold the pencil differently then."

"But I can't write fast enough if I grip it like that. It's too weak a hold," Marisa replied.

"You have to learn that more power doesn't always improve things," Reimu retorted.

Marisa just went back to massaging her hand. No reason arguing with Reimu like that.

As the two friends passed the club bulletin board Reimu tossed it a glance. "Oh right, we have to join clubs soon. You have any ideas?"

Marisa considered the matter for a moment. "Wasn't there an occult studies club?"

Reimu sighed and shook her head. "Nope they all graduated year before last. The flier was just to see if any newbies wanted to keep it going."

"Dang," Marisa peered at the board as if it were a venomous snake. "What were you thinking of Reimu?"

Reimu pointed at a small flier in the corner. "I'm thinking of going into the fortune telling club. It overlaps with the miko stuff I have to do for my scholarship so..."

Marisa sighed again. That sounded dull. "I'd rather get fortunes then make them. Hmm..." Finally Marisa closed her eyes and tossed her pen at the board.

"What are you doing!" Reimu asked.

"Choosing!" Marisa replied, looking for the pen mark. "And here we are. Mahjong Club!"

"Eh? You're going to join the mahjong club just like that?"

"What? Is that a big deal?" Marisa asked.

"You didn't know!" Reimu stared at her friend. "They placed second in the regional championships! The year before that they went to the nationals!"

Marisa smiled and went to go switch her shoes. "Cool! Sounds like they'll be able to teach me a few tricks."

Reimu shook her head. "Seriously, I can't believe you think you can keep up with that kind of talent..." Reimu reached for her own shoes then followed Marisa out of the school. "Besides I heard that their captain was Ryuumonbuchi Touka. You know, the daughter of the guy the schools named after."

Marisa laughed at that. "Since when have I ever cared about something like that Reimu?"

Reimu just shook her head. "Boundless confidence eh?"

"That's right! Full speed ahead!"

Reimu frowned then stopped in her tracks. Marisa turned to look at her. "What, is something wrong about that?"

Reimu shook her head. "What's wrong is this forest. It shouldn't be this dark, and we should be at the dorms by now."

Marisa's heart began to beat faster as she looked around. The forest was darker, and far thicker then it should have been. She took a few steps back the way she came, but everything seemed dark that way as well.

Then the darkness began to slither forward.

"What the hell is that!" cried Reimu.

"I~ I don't know! Let's get out of here!" Marisa grabbed Reimu's hand and turned to run in the opposite direction. Then she stopped. There were more of the creatures pulling their way out of the darkness in the other direction.

Marisa's head felt light as she watched the odd ooze of hands and legs crawl out of the blackness. 'That's it?' her mind asked. 'I'm going to die?'

There was a sudden mechanical roar, followed by a screeching as a motorcycle plowed into the ground in front of Marisa and Reimu. The slide kicked up a massive spray of earth as the machine to a came to a halt.

The janitor from before pushed herself off the almost horizontal bike and pulled what looked like a gun from her shirt. Then she pointed the muzzle at her head and pulled the trigger. "Keine!"

Marisa swore that time had frozen for that glorious moment. A thousand motes of light sprang from the girl in front of them, then coalesced into a giant woman in a green dress with large horns. The phantasm looked down at the dark pools of shadow beneath her and simply stomped down, kicking up a shockwave.

Marisa braced for impact, but the wave didn't seem to touch her. However it splattered the two blobs in front of the girls into tiny rapidly disintegrating pieces.

The janitor, 'Fujiwara' the tiny part of her brain that hadn't gone on strike due to panic noted, turned and pulled two more of the strange guns off the fallen bike. "Here! Use these, remember Gensoukyo!"

That seemed an odd thing to say thought Marisa. Then she decided that whatever brainpower she had left would probably have been better spent catching the gun instead of worrying about that. The pistol like object hit her in the chest then fell to the ground.

That apparently was the signal for her to snap back into reality. Her heart started beating like the cylinders on the bike had been, and she frantically grabbed for the pistol. She managed to get a hold of the item, but only by falling on her butt.

Reimu of course had caught the gun perfectly. Marisa saw her holding it, looking at the shadows approaching from where they had run. Then her face tightened in determination. Reimu put the gun to her temple and yelled "Aya!" as she pulled the trigger.

Once again a shower of sparks reached into the air, but this time the figure that formed was smaller. A black haired girl with a camera and a leaf fan floated above her friends head. Then it spoke. "So long as I'm remembered I'll always be here to give my report. Pure and honest reporter Shameimaru Aya has arrived!"

And with that the figure waved it's fan and a tornado flew out to strike the monsters. Marisa could only sit in amazement as five of the six things just vanished with the wind.

Unfortunately the sixth started running for her.

Marisa pulled up the weapon and put it to her head, but then she froze again. 'There has to be more to it then this,' she thought. 'Remember Gensoukyo. What does that mean!" Then a hazy fragment of her dream from last night flashed into her mind. With that she pulled the trigger.

The impact slammed into her head like a hammer blow, and a thousand scenes flew through her mind. Over a misty lake, in the spring snow, amid flower blossoms, once during the day and once at night, and a thousand other little meetings. As the pictures flew through her consciousness a name appeared. "Cirno!" she yelled out to the heavens.

As she did so the sparks flew forth to make another figure, smaller then even Reimu's. The six winged ice fairy looked at the shadow and smirked. "So long as you remember the strongest I'm here to fight! I'll freeze you with a side of beef!"

Marisa smiled as the little fairy raised her hand to summon her ice shards. Then the girl screamed as white hot pain seared through her mind. The phantasm above her head seemed to twist then vanished in a static haze.

As Marisa's head continued to throb the haze reformed into a pale girl in a dress, about ten or twelve. In her hands was a bound book, and there was murder in her eyes. Her gaze seemed to stop even the shadow in it's tracks.

It spoke in a harsh whisper that carried through the forest. "You made them forget me. You made _her_ forget me."

"You've been very very bad. You have to be punished. Mother isn't here to punish you, so I'll have to punish you."

The little girl pointed at the shadow creature. "Die for me!"

Marisa blacked out.

* * *

Marisa opened her eyes and looked around. There was no Reimu, no janitor (Mokou her mind recalled) and no forest. There was a lot of random floating rocks. And where she was there was what looked to be a very expensive private lounge all done in shades of blue.

"I must be dreaming," Marisa muttered.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

Marisa turned towards the voice. There sitting next to a well furnished table, was a small man with a very prominent nose. He inclined his head to Marisa. "I am Igor."

For some reason this seemed perfectly normal to Marisa. So normal in fact that she found herself sitting down across from the man. "Nice place. How'd I get here?"

The man chuckled. "You are on the border of dreams and reality. I have to say, I was not expecting your arrival, I was expecting your friend. But I suppose this makes sense too. She stood at the boundaries of things. You are purely born of the realm of fantasy, no matter how real you are."

Marisa tried to ponder the matter but she found it hard to concentrate. Just like it was in a dream. "So you gonna explain things to me? Like how I'm here?"

Igor waved his hand. "You are here because this is where you are meant to be. I am here because I owe a friend a small favor. As for explanations, I can explain some things, but not all, and not now. For it is your journey to find those answers that will give you the strength to restore your rightful place."

"What I can do is record your memories here so they cannot be stolen away again. I've already placed your memories of Cirno here, so you can summon her again, if need be. And as you meet new people and forge bonds with them, you will remember other friends. When you remember them I can help you give those memories form."

"I'll be speaking with you again soon, after you've learned a little more, but for now it's time for you to wake up."

"You've got a long adventure ahead of you. And I'm very interested to see where it leads..."


	11. Springtime in Gensoukyo

So the writing contest revived, and with it returns my random random shorts. This one is, unsurprisingly about courtship.

* * *

Lilly White twirled through the air, spinning in joy at the arrival of spring. All around her bullets flew out, a wordless declaration of the joy in the fairy's soul. And through that stream of bullets tengu dipped and dived. Each trying to graze the pattern as closely as they could. A display of skill, grace and strength.

Or at least, that's what it was _supposed _to be.

On the ground below, Hatate sighed as the guy who was trying to impress her ran straight into a bullet. She hadn't been expecting much of the kid, but still...

Sighing she brushed her skirt off and left. None of the other contenders were worth sticking around for. Just kids and meat heads.

She'd done her own runs earlier of course. She'd even picked a shorter skirt so she could show off her legs more. All that reporting work had done wonders for her dodging skills, and she'd hoped that her performance this year might draw the attention of some of the smarter tengu guys that had commented on her paper. But while she could feel a lot more eyes on her this year, in the end all her admirers pursued the older women who'd built up a reputation in some field.

She probably could have caught one of the guy's who'd been rejected on the rebound, but she had too much pride for that. After all there was still next year. Tengu flirted a lot, but they took their time with relationships.

Besides, next year she'd have established her reputation as Gensoukyo's number one reporter! That ought to improve her appeal.

Hatate'd almost managed to shake all her feelings of disappointment, when the feeling of cold steel being laid across the back of her neck derailed all of her thoughts.

"Hatate. I'm so glad I found you," Momiji said dryly.

Hatate did her best to keep her voice steady. "Um... Hello Momiji. What do you need."

Hatate relaxed a bit as Momiji removed her blade. "I need you to help me out of a problem you got me in," the wolf Tengu replied with only the hint of a snarl. "I need something for White Day that WON'T cause more rumors about me and Sanae."

Hatate winced. "It's not my fault she gave you a pink cake."

"It's because she thought chocolate was dangerous to me for some reason! Nothing else!" Momiji half yelled, half sighed.

"I know, and I told everyone. It's not my fault no one believed that!" Hatate returned.

Momiji shook her head. "Look, just give me an idea for a gift that's respectful and not going to make the rumors worse."

Hatate sighed and thought for a moment. "Marshmellows. They're hard to get, but not too extravagant. And it'll remind her of home."

"Sounds good to me sis."

The two tengu turned to find Orin standing there with her usual smile. Hatate guessed if the kassha was in human form she was here to talk to someone.

"Is there something you need Orin?" Momiji asked.

The kassha nodded cheerfully. "Nitori and I were gonna go bar hopping in the village on White Day. See if we could meet people. I know you don't wanna hook up with anyone, but if you're up for the bar hopping part we'll be glad to have you along." The kassha grinned. "If you want you can invite the miko too!"

Momiji smacked the cat upside the head. "Ha ha. Still I suppose that wouldn't be too bad, so long as you keep the jokes down. Sanae could probably use some human company, and the goddesses will accept me as a chaperon."

Hatate shook her head. "It's white day, won't you find more rejected girls then rejected guys?"

Orin shrugged. "Whatever."

"There'll be plenty of guys crying over the fact that the girl gave them 'giri' chocolate instead of romantic like they thought," Momiji said simply. "Or guys drinking because they didn't have anyone to give stuff to."

"Well have fun. I've got stories to write," Hatate said as she turned away.

"Hey Hatate."

Hatate paused. Momiji suddenly looked much more serious. "Yeah?"

"At some point you should ask Aya why she never shows up to there events," Momiji said.

Hatate fiddled with her phone and frowned. "Why don't you tell me yourself?"

Momiji turned away. "Becuase it's not my place to say. And because you might agree with her thoughts."

Hatate shrugged again and flew away. She could do that later. For now she wanted to reclaim her train of thought.

After a few seconds she nodded to herself. She had an article to write.

And what better to write about then spring romance!

Hatate smiled and headed out towards the rolling fields past the village. This time of the year they'd be full of flowers. And so long as you avoided the suzerain field and kept your clippings eco friendly the local youkai wouldn't be a big problem for gatherers. Which meant there was a good chance she could spot any people in a relationship out and about there.

Flying above the valley she saw a few humans at the fringes, and snapped quick pictures of them. Once again she kicked herself for not figuring out if her camera had a zoom function, but a quick pass at Tengu speeds was usually enough to get a candid photo, which she could later use to figure out who their sweetheart was with spirit photography. She'd do the interview in person of course. That's what she'd learned from her battle with Aya.

She'd gotten a good number of 'interview canidates' when she felt someone approaching her. She turned to see one of the Prismrivers, Lyrica she thought, floating towards her.

The poltergeist looked her over then smiled. "Oh hey, we needed a photographer. Please come along."

"Huh?" Hatate cocked her head at the spirit, but Lyrica started floating down without explaining. Shrugging Hatate followed. It might be a scoop.

As they dropped into a little valley she realized just how big a scoop it was.

Kogasa was standing there in a black western suit, though the fact that she was hanging on to her umbrella body made the esemble more cut then dashing. Standing next to her was Daiyousei in a similar outfit, who was blushing furiously. Next to them was Nazrin, in what Hatate was certain was a minister's outfit.

Hatate pulled out her camera phone. "So what's going on."

"Why it's a wedding of course," Nazrin said simply.

Hatate choked. "What!" She looked over at the other two youkai. Daiyousei was blushing fiercer then before, and Kogasa just kind of shrugged. Hatate turned back to Nazrin. "And how are you a minister?"

"Because I'm Nazrin."

Hatate closed her eyes. "That doesn't make sense."

Nazrin smirked. "I'm a messenger of a god. So I'm a priest, right?"

Hatate was certain the rules didn't work that way, but she didn't care that much. This was a scoop after all! She quickly took pictures of the participants, then signaled she was ready. Nazarin raised her hand, and Lyrica started up the bridal march.

First onto the scene were Sunny and Luna, tossing flower petals. They were followed by Star Saphire, who was holding a pillow with a ring, then Cirno holding a bouquet. All of them were smiling widely, and wearing matching blue dresses.

Then, from around one of the smaller hills, stepped Medicine Melancholy in a white wedding dress.

Hatate's brain was buzzing from the sheer incredulousness of it all, but she knew her job. She fired off as many photos as she could, knowing that she was going to have the best front page ever!

Medicine smiled at Kogasa as she stepped up next to the other tsukumogami and Kogasa returned it. Nazrin coughed lightly. "The sacrament of marriage is what brings us here this day..."

Hatate continued to snap photos as the ceremony progressed. Cirno occasionally had to get poked in the side during the sermon, but all in all it was a very nice ceremony. Kogasa stumbled through the vows a little, but Medicine kept smiling brightly though the whole thing. They exchanged rings, and then came the finale.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Nazrin stated. "You may now kiss the bride."

Hatate actually found herself smiling as Kogasa leaned forward and kissed Medicine. It was all very weird, but it was so cute! She took a final photo, then clapped along with the others for the couple.

After the two broke the kiss Medicine turned her bright smile to the crowd. "Thanks everyone! That was the best wedding we've had!"

Kogasa nodded. "Yeah. The photographer added some surprise to this one too. Thanks Miss!"

"No problem," Hatate blinked. "Wait, 'this one'? You've done this before?"

The two tsukumogami looked confused at the question. "Of course! You haven't? It's a real fun game," Medicine said.

"This is their seventh wedding," Cirno said with a laugh.

"We get to keep the dresses," Sunny added.

Nazrin leaned over to Hatate and whispered, "She's a doll tsukumogami. She probably remembers being in fake weddings all the time. And the umbrella doesn't know enough to correct her."

Hatate sighed deeply as she saw her story blow away on the wind.

"What should we play now?" Medicine asked Kogasa.

"I think we should change and try to surprise Tewi!" the karakasa replied.

"Sure!"

The two turned and waved to the 'wedding' party. As they flew off Medicine said, "Thanks again everyone. We'll call you when we want to play again!"

Nazrin removed her white collar and floated into the sky soon after. "Well, that's it for me. Later." She flew off, with Lyrica following after.

Hatate sighed again and started parsing through her photos. "Well I guess I could make an article on Christian style weddings."

Cirno floated to look over her shoulder. "Oh! You could make a story about youkai romance!"

"Do you even know what that means?" Hatate asked the fairy.

"Of course!" Cirno looked offended. "It would be a article on the many different, er..." The fairy paused.

"Courtship rituals," Star offered sweetly.

"Right! Courtship rituals that youkai perform!" Cirno finished proudly.

Hatate blinked at the ice fairy for a bit. "That's... actually not a bad idea." She flipped out her camera and started typing. "So what are the rituals for fairies?" she asked with a bit of a smirk.

Cirno looked stumped for a moment. "Er..."

"Well when two fairies love each other very much, the stork comes and brings them a baby fairy," Luna said simply.

Sunny laughed, "Come on, don't you know that Cirno!"

"Shut up!" Cirno pouted. "That's about baby fairies, not courtship. It's different."

Hatate shook her head. "Don't tell me you actually believe that nonsense."

The fairies all looked at her in surprise. "Oh, but it's true," Star said

"Yeah! I mean some fairies just form, but the stork thing is totally true," Cirno stated firmly. Sunny and Luna nodded in agreement.

"Have you ever seen that happen?" Hatate asked bluntly.

"Uh..." The four fairies looked around at one another. "Well, I mean..."

"I have pictures."

Everyone turned to see Daiyousei holding up some old polaroids. "This was from when I was born."

Everyone crowded around the green haired fairy. "You've never shown me there Daiyousei!" Cirno said in wonder. "How long have you had them?"

"Well, it never came up. And my parents gave them to me because they kept losing them," Daiyousei said happily.

Hatate flipped through the pictures rapidly. Her head hurt. She wanted to deny it, but sure enough, there were two fairies holding hands, and a stork with a basket in it's beak. She even could see a family resemblance between Daiyousei and the wind fairy and lake fairy that were standing in the picture.

Worse yet, she could tell from the camera work exactly who was responsible for these photos.

She quietly left the five faries cooing over how cute Daiyousei was as a baby (which to be fair was pretty damn cute) and headed back towards youkai mountain. She took a few detours along the way, but soon she arrived at the house of the person responsible for her current headache.

Seeing the windows were open she knocked on the door.

There was a pause, then the door slowly opened up. "Hatate. I didn't expect to see you here," Aya said.

"Did you stage that crazy stork photo?"

Aya furrowed her brow in confusion, for a moment, then she realized what was being asked. "Ah! That photo. No, fairies are just weird sometimes." Aya smirked. "You've got a ways to go still kid if you couldn't tell me that straight off." Aya thought a moment more. "Hey, why are you bugging me about that? Shouldn't you be out for the spring festivities?"

Hatate winced inwardly. "They ended today. No one my age worth bothering with."

"Ah." Aya seemed pensive at that. Then she opened the door. "Well if you want to see the negatives as proof come on in. I don't need to worry about you seeing that story."

Hatate was surprised at the offer, but she stepped inside anyway. She knew what Aya's house looked like of course. Papers and books were in most of the rooms, a printing press was in the corner, and there was a back area where Aya actually lived. But the thing that caught her trained eye right now was a table with a bottle of Oni whiskey sitting on it, with an empty glass in front of it. She turned her attention back to Aya who was a little less stable then she normally looked. "Are you drunk," Hatate asked incredulously.

"No. I've been drinking. There's a difference," Aya stated sitting down and pouring another shot. She pulled out a second glass. "Want some?"

Hatate hesitated a moment, then shrugged and nodded. Oni whiskey was about four times as potent as pure alcohol with all the stuff they added to it, but Tengu could handle it.

They sat there for a little while, each taking sips of the vile stuff, while Hatate generally felt more and more awkward. Finally she managed to say, "So, Momiji said I should ask you why you never go to the spring events. Even though you're unmarried."

Aya's eyebrows raised at that. "Hm. Momiji's matured." The older tengu took another sip before continuing, "Tell me Hatate, which is more important to you. Finding a mate, or being a reporter?"

Hatate looked at Aya for a moment. "Well, I wouldn't say one is more important then the other. I mean, I wouldn't want to go out with someone who wanted to keep me from reporting of course, but I don't see how'd they'd conflict."

"Ah, but they do." Aya waved her glass a bit. "You see to be a good reporter, you have to be a bad tengu. You have to go and chat with non tengu all the time, and you're on the job on all the big holidays. Anyone dating a big name reporter's gotta deal with that crap." She took another sip. "So while it's not a yes or no answer, you've gotta figure out what you're gonna sacrifice."

Hatate stared at her drink at that. She couldn't really disagree with Aya's words.

Finally she slammed her hand down on the table. Screw this. She swigged the whole glass of whiskey, choked on the fumes for a bit, then stood up. "Alright. Let's go Aya."

"Wha?" Aya was looking up at her in confusion.

"You said it'd be harder to find a good date if we stick to reporting right? Well that means we just have to be a little more forceful about dating." Hatate brushed off her outfit. "So we're going to head to a bar, find some good looking guys, and try some oni courtship."

Aya blinked at her. "Isn't that when you walk up to someone, kiss them, and if they only dislocate your jaw that means they're fine with dating?"

"Yep."

Aya laughed and shook her head at Hatate's reply. "Sure why not." The older tengu downed her own drink. "Let's go."

The two tengu walked off laughing together

Later they'd come to regret this, as oni style courtship became a fad among the tengu for a couple of years. Still, Hatate's right hook did improve because of it.


	12. Bloodlines

*Slap*

Remilia shook her head to clear the pain, then forced herself to stand up perfectly straight. She stared past her father's angry visage doing her best to hide her pain.

"I've given you years to fix this! So what's your excuse for this farce!"

She knew that there was no answer that could satisfy him. She simply gritted her teeth and replied, "I don't have one, father."

"You don't have one?" The second slap was lighter then the first, though it still sent her small body flying. She thought she heard Flandre whimper in fear. Or maybe that was her own voice.

Her father dragged her upright, glaring down at his wayward daughter with fury in his eyes. "You disgust me, Remilia. How could someone of the my bloodline be so pathetic?" He sneered at her. "A noble of house Scarlet who can't even correctly transform to and from bat form? Sickening! And what's worse is that you failed in the most egregious manner possible. Now every time I look at these," Remilia trembled in fear as he placed his hands on her wings, "I'm reminded that my daughter is inferior to a commoner!"

Remilia couldn't help but scream as he ripped the wings from her back with his monstrous strength. She collapsed to the ground, desperately fighting back sobs. He'd stop hurting her if she didn't cry.

Her father tossed her broken wings aside and walked away in disgust. They'd grow back soon enough.

Her mother walked over and looked down upon Remilia as she tried to stand. "I should toss you out into the sun and start over. Give Flandre someone worthy to compete against."

Remilia gritted her teeth. "But you won't."

Her mother smiled at that. "Yes, I suppose it's hard to threaten you since you know the results. So long as you keep that power you are of some use. Maybe your sister will keep you alive if she proves herself worthy of the Scarlet name."

Remilia grunted in reply and stood.

Most vampires had powers, but normally they simply gained greater strength in one of the vampire's traditional skills. She on the other hand was weaker, physically and magically, then the norm for her race. But her power was unique. She possessed the ability to see fate, and plan around it.

She wondered if her parents would be more or less impressed if they realized she'd been lying to them all this time. Because the one thing she could not see was her own fate.

Her father had moved to stand before Flandre, the lesser daughter forgotten. Remilia could sense her sister's fear, but it didn't show on her pale countenance.

Her father looked down at the girl. "Bat form." Flandre immediately transformed into a bat at his command. "Vampire form." Flandre switched again, quickly resuming her true form. Unlike Remilia no wings marred her form. Of course their father wouldn't be satisfied with just that.

"Wolf form." In Flandre's place sat a night black wolf with blood red eyes. "Mist." Now there was just a haze where Flandre once was. "Vampire." Then Flandre was back, whole again.

"Mist, Wolf, Vampire, Bat, Mist, Vampire, Wolf, Vampire," her father rattled off. Flandre immediately began shifting, trying to keep up with the commands as they came. She of course fell behind, but she did all the transformations, in the correct order.

Her test complete, Flandre stood there awaiting judgment.

"Acceptable," was her father's final verdict. "Your mist transformations are still slow though. Work on them."

"Yes father!" Flandre replied quickly.

"Well then, shall we have dinner Flandre?" Mother asked.

Flandre glanced back at Remilia for a moment, but the young girl quickly turned back. "Yes Mother."

Father nodded as well, and the three left towards the dining room. Remilia didn't follow. She knew she'd been dismissed for her poor showing. She would get no dinner tonight. Her stomach and body would complain, but she wouldn't cry about it. That would only show she was less worthy then she already was. She would stand there until the massive doors to the dining hall slammed shut.

Then she could collapse to the floor and try to wrap her arms around herself.

She wouldn't cry about it, when they could see.

As her choked sobs slowly subsided, she smelled something sweet. Her hunger drove her towards the smell, and she found herself looking down at the blood she'd lost when her father had ripped off her wings.

She pushed herself off the ground in disgust. She was a vampire. She wouldn't resort to licking her own blood off the floor like a wounded beast!

Or that's what she wanted to say. She hadn't eaten in two days, and the scent of blood, even her own, was distracting to the point of madness.

Remilia stared at the puddle of blood for a long time, before running off to her room to escape the enticing smell.

* * *

"Big sister, can I come in?"

Remilia nearly jumped from her bed at the voice. "Of course. Hurry though before you're seen."

The door opened and Flandre slipped through. "You don't need to worry Remilia. Mother caught a priest. They'll be gone the rest of the night."

Remilia stood and hugged her sister. "That's good." She almost felt some pity for the priest, but considering the fact that the way Mother hunted was seduction, it was obvious he wasn't a very pious man.

Flandre hugged Remilia back, then loosened her collar. "Here big sis. I ate too much at dinner, so you can have some."

Remilia stared at her sister's neck. Kin feeding was possible, but frowned upon. "It's okay Flandre. I'm a light eater, I don't need much food. Besides they might notice."

"They won't notice if you don't spill anything." Flandre paused, then said in a meek whisper, "Besides, they're going to take me to the village tomorrow. I'll get more blood then."

"Eh! Tomorrow?" Remilia started at that. She was only 17, and Flandre had just turned 13. To go on an active hunt so soon...

Then Remilia understood. "It's because of me isn't it."

Flandre didn't say anything, but Remilia could tell by her sister's silence she'd hit the mark.

Soon after little Flandre had mastered speech the two sisters had learned the reason their parents had gone through the effort of having two children so quickly. They were only going to let one of them inherit the Scarlet family name. One of them was going to become one of the rulers of the night, the other was simply to be a challenge for the true vampire to overcome. A tool to be discarded.

Thus for the next three years the sisters had been at each others throats. Both knew only one of them would survive. Remilia had the advantage in age and her ability to see fate. Flandre however quickly started beating Remilia in strength and magical aptitude.

Then shape changing lessons had come, and everything fell apart.

Remilia's failure had made it impossible for her to pretend to be human. She'd been terrified her parents would have killed her right then, but her ability to see the future convinced them to spare her.

But that meant Flandre had no 'worthy' competition. Which meant their father had come down twice as hard on the young girl.

The two sisters had slowly banded together after that. Flandre needed Remilia to help tutor her. There was no way someone her age could understand the subjects being thrown at her with simple self study. And Remilia...

Remilia needed a friend. Someone who thought she had the right to exist. Especially since most of her life these days was being used as an object lesson in the penalties for failure.

Remilia sighed and shook off her reminiscence. "Well, I guess feeding should help you calm down a bit. I'll be careful not to take much."

That brought some of Flandre's color back. "Yeah, and no bloodstains, alright," Flandre said in an imperious tone. "It's bad enough you've ruined your own dresses like that."

Remilia smiled weakly before slowly biting into her sister's throat, her hunger allowing her to ignore the terrible taste of vampire blood. Flandre sighed and relaxed as the tranquilizing agents in Remilia's vampiric saliva helped remove her fear and tension.

After a few seconds Remilia stopped drinking and very carefully drew back. To her immense relief she hadn't spilled any blood this time. And despite the foul taste, she wasn't starving anymore. "Thank you sister."

"Hm, well sisters are supposed to look after each other." Flandre crossed her arms and turned away. "Though you're supposed to be helping more, big sister. When are you going to stop slacking?"

Remilia smiled weakly. "One day you'll be able to rely on me for everything you need. Just you see."

Flandre's voice seemed to shift as she said, "I know."

Remilia shuddered at that. Only she had seen it happen, but Flandre sometimes knew things. Things that even Remilia couldn't see. Perhaps it was a weak echo of Remilia's power. Or perhaps it was something else.

Flandre started walking for the door. "I should go to bed early."

"Yeah. Take care Flandre."

Flandre opened the door, then stopped. "Remilia?"

"Yes, Flan?" Remilia replied.

Flandre hesitated a little longer. "I know it won't matter, since you can't change fate, but I need to know. Does everything go okay tomorrow?"

Remilia stood up and called upon her ability. She stared at Flandre, and the rest of the world seemed to fade away, leaving her sister in a darkened field.

Then the scene changed. There was a village full of fire. Blood. A broken cross. And mad laughter ringing through the air.

Remilia closed her eyes to block out the sight. "Yeah. It'll all turn out okay Flandre," she lied.

"Thank you sister."

Remilia waited until the door latched before burying her face in the pillow to contain her new tears. "I'm sorry Flandre. I didn't want to lie. But you should have one good night's sleep. It's all I can give you."

* * *

The waiting was interminable.

Flandre and their father had left after lunch. Remilia had been ordered to her room at the same time. She hadn't even been able to say goodbye to Flandre. Not while their parents watched.

And so Remilia was left to pace. Thirty seven short steps one way. Thirty seven short steps the other. A mindless exercise to keep her body occupied while her mind wandered.

As she paced she wondered again why she hadn't aged from her current state. Perhaps it was because she felt she was still a child. Her parents had beaten that into her enough. Or perhaps it was because she felt more like Flandre's little sister then her big sister. She hoped Flandre didn't have the same problem. It would be sad if both of them were trapped at this age forever.

She hoped that her worries about Flandre would actually matter.

The vision once again flashed through her mind and she shook it off. It didn't matter. It was probably meaningless. It was a vampire's job to cause pain and suffering to humans. If there wasn't blood and fire after an attack from Flandre her father would be disappointed, right? All that mattered was keeping the fact that there were actual vampires hidden to all but the dead.

Remilia started as the door opened. She quickly snapped to attention and found her mother standing there looking displeased. "Follow me," her mother said curtly.

Remilia followed.

Mother led her to the sitting room. Father was already there, staring at his painting while growling. His clothes were torn slightly, and he smelled of smoke.

When Remilia entered he turned his glare on her. Remilia couldn't help but flinch back at the hate in his eyes. "You! Prove you're still useful and tell us where we'll be in two days time!"

Remilia desperately wanted to ask why, but she didn't dare anger her father further. She quickly concentrated on her parents. She saw a manor, similarly decorated, but not the same. She saw mother and father sitting there, looking annoyed but relieved. And a place entered her mind, 'Bavaria.'

"You'll be in the Germanys, Father. Bavaria." Remilia paused for a moment. "I... don't see Flandre, Father."

"That's not of your concern wretch," her Mother said. "You've proven useful enough to let live again. Now go to your room until we call for you."

Once again Remilia desperately wanted to know what happened, but she didn't dare refuse. "Yes mother." Remilia turned around and walked out. The door slammed shut behind her.

Remilia walked halfway down the hall towards her room, then stopped and turned into a bat. She might never be able to get the bats wings off her back, but she could still make the transformation. And she needed the bat's hearing now.

She focused her ears at the crack in the door and listened in on the conversation.

"Are you sure we need to flee?" mother asked. "The Church isn't usually so quick."

"Normally they don't trust some random villagers claims. After all who cares if a few peasants die to vampire attacks? But that little thing revealed a power no one should possess and some witnesses survived. The church will be here in force to kill her." Her Father's voice almost sounded worried.

"Is it really that bad dear? Power is power," Mother replied.

"Power is fine, but the little child went mad!" Her father's exclamation was followed by a loud thump. "She killed one human, then just lost her mind. She broke the church while hovering in the moonlight for all to see, then started attacking people at random to see if 'they all broke the same way!' She even attacked me! I was lucky that a strong slap brought some semblance of sense back to her. But she was giggling even then and muttering things in tongues."

"Hrm, that is bad." Mother sighed. "How foolish, to break over some human. I guess we'll have to start over then. We can't have madness in the family, no matter the power."

Her father grunted. "Especially with that power. I swear half the time she just looked at something and it would explode. I feel lucky that she tried to kill me in a conventional fashion."

"You think she's that dangerous dear?" Mother seemed shocked. "Is that why you let her live?"

"Yes. Tomorrow night we just pack up and leave. Don't even bother with the seal on her door. Let the church handle this mess."

Remilia had heard enough. She flew away towards her sister's room.

* * *

The doors to Flandre's room had been sealed with a powerful spell. One far beyond her skills. Remilia could admittedly tunnel through the walls, but the door itself was impassable.

Perhaps that was for the best. After all, she had lied to her sister.

Remilia hesitated then knocked on the door. "Flandre. It's me."

"Big sister!" Flandre's voice rang out. "One sec! Lemee open the door!" There was a few steps from inside, then a thump as Flandre hit the warded portal.

"Flandre, it's sealed," Remilia said. "You can't..."

The mystical seal cracked, then the doorway shattered into a million pieces, revealing Flandre. "Kyuu!" Flandre said. Then she started giggling.

Remilia could only stare in shock at the altered form of the girl who was her sister. "Flandre, what... what have you done to your back?"

"Oh! The wings!" Flandre laughed again. A strange painful laugh that caused fear to shoot up Remilia's spine. "Well I'm a failure now, just like you Remilia! So that means I can get pretty wings like you too, right?" Flandre turned around, causing the strange crystals attached to the 'wings' to chime. Flandre's back was a mass of blood and Remilia could see where the iron bars that made up the 'wings' had been jammed into her skin. "Do you like them big sis?"

Remilia was terrified. The girl that she had spent so much time with, who she'd fought against, who she'd tried desperately to support, had shattered. Crushed under the weight of an impossible task.

But it was still Flandre. Remilia stepped forward and hugged her sister. "They're beautiful. They must hurt a lot, but they're beautiful."

Flandre stiffened at the embrace, then slumped into Remilia's arms. "I can see it big sister. Why did you lie to me? I can see it all. Killing people made me understand. Everything is so fragile. That door." Flandre kicked a piece of the ruined wood. "My bed." Flandre made a fist and it exploded into fragments. "Even you big sister." Remilia froze in fear as something in her chest tightened. It felt like she could pop at any moment. She wanted to scream. To run away.

But she'd had years of practice fighting back those emotions. She forced herself to hug her sister tighter. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to believe what I saw was real. I didn't want to know."

The tightness vanished. "I understand," Flandre said mournfully. "Sometimes not knowing is safer. Sometimes not knowing is the only thing that makes it stop hurting."

Flandre leaned into her. "Big sister. What will happen to me?"

Remilia closed her eyes. She didn't want to see. But she couldn't escape the visions. A head with blond hair lying on the floor. A silver knife. Broken crystals atop the shattered fragments of Flandre's bed.

"Do I die, big sister?"

Remilia bit her lip. Finally she said, "Your bed's broken. Do you want to sleep in my room tonight, Flandre?"

Flandre started. "Ah! It is broken." She giggled again. "I'm starting to forget whether things are broken or waiting to be broken." Flandre paused and thought. "Well, normally I'd get in trouble, but that doesn't matter, so sure!"

Remilia sighed and closed her eyes again. The vision flashed in front of her. Her sisters broken form. A silver knife. A ruined room.

Her ruined room.

And then she understood.

"Let's go to sleep early, Flandre. I think we'll have a long day tomorrow."

* * *

Remilia was always a light eater, which was great if you wanted to keep a low profile as a vampire. But she had another quality that was of great use for survival. She was a light sleeper.

Incredibly light for a vampire. Most vampires couldn't move at all once they retreated to their beds and the sun rose. However some, like her mother and her sister, could act normally while the sun was up. And Remilia alone could wake when the sun was high in the sky without stumbling about in lethargy for a while.

Which was a good thing. She knew what she needed to do, but her mind fought against it tooth and nail. She'd been trapped in a cycle of helplessness for so long she could barely believe she could escape it. It took her a full hour to pull herself out of bed. Another to get the items she needed. Then a third hour to push open the door to her parents room.

She thanked whatever dark forces might listen to a devils prayers that her parents didn't sleep in coffins, otherwise she might have lost another hour, and she didn't have that time.

She walked up next to her mother first. The tall elegant silver haired woman hadn't shifted at all. Remilia stood there for a while, trying to summon her courage. Then the woman's eyes fluttered open.

The shock and fear in her mother's eyes gave her the courage to raise the oak stake above the woman's breast and drive it home with preternatural force.

Her mother spasmed and jerked as blood splattered about. Remilia had hit the heart, but not pierced it. But the young vampires fear was gone, replaced by rage. "It figures your breasts would save you, fucking cow!" Remilia swore as she slamed her hand down on the stake again. "After all, that's all you ever used to hunt! Well they aren't big enough to keep you alive forever you stupid bitch!"

Remilia slammed her hand down one more time, and her mother jerked and was still.

She whirled around towards her father's bed. The elder vampire's eyes were open, but unlike his wife and daughters, he couldn't even begin to move while the sun was up. Remilia took her time walking to his side. "Well well well. Who's weak now!" She carefully put the tip of the second stake over his heart, reveling in his fear.

"Before I kill you father, I want you to know something. I lied to you every time I said you wouldn't kill me. I can't see my own fate." She paused and smiled even wider. "Because I don't have one. I can change the future as I see fit! I am Remilia Scarlet, and fate is mine to command! Am I worthy now, Father?"

She looked down at her old man's face, and she froze. He was smiling. Weakly, but he was smiling.

"NO!" she screamed as she hammered in the stake with her fist. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! You don't get to approve of me now! I don't want your approval! I don't need your approval! I'm murdering you God dammit! Scream! Beg! Cry! Plead for your life! Say you were sorry. That I was always worthy of being your daughter! DON'T JUST LIE THERE AND SMILE LIKE THAT YOU BASTARD!"

But her words were futile. Her father wouldn't be doing anything anymore.

* * *

Remilia wiped her eyes again before stepping into her room. "Hey Flandre, wake up." She held out a bowl with some soup in it. "Breakfast. Sorta."

Flandre yawned and turned to look at the bowl. "Good morning." Flandre took the soup and started slurping it down. Remilia should probably complain, but that was faster. And faster was better right now.

"When you're done, pack your clothes sister. We're going on a trip." Remilia started gathering her own belongings.

"Where to?" Flandre asked quietly.

Remilia paused for a moment, then smiled weakly. "Bavaria. There's a mansion there for us."

"What about Mother and Father?" Flandre asked quietly. "Won't they be mad?"

Remilia's hands started to tremble. She took a deep breath. "They don't care about us anymore, Flandre. We can go where we wish." She waited until her hands stopped shaking, then went back to packing her clothes.

Flandre looked over at Remilia, then back down at her soup. "Big sister, what's going to happen to us?"

Remilia shook her head. "I don't know Flandre. I can't see our fate anymore." She turned around and hugged Flandre tightly. "But I promise you, I'll do my best to take care of you. Because you're my sister."

Flandre sniffed, then hugged her sister back. "I knew you would."

* * *

To His Grace, Cardinal Borgia,

Our inquiries into the matter in the village of _ have turned up more questions then answers I'm afraid. Two of the devils were found slain by our crew, but there is evidence of more that escaped.

Further complicating matters is evidence that the Silver Witch is also hunting the creatures. Once again the woman evaded capture, and I fear she took the evidence we'd need to pursue the creatures with her. Then again this may be the work of the Lord in disguise. If nothing else the two groups meeting should eliminate one of our problems.

The bodies we did claim are enough to soothe the townspeople, and tithes are up in the area. I suggest a commendation for Brother Mark on keeping the matter local with a minimum of bloodshed, and I will report when our hunters have more news on where the other devils may have fled.

In Humble Service,

Brother Mikael.

* * *

I've wanted for some time to write a different version of how Remilia and Flandre's parents went away. It took me a while, but I finally put it together. It's darker then I normally write, but I hope the ending we all know comes in the future makes up for that.

I'm slowly pulling together my other writings. I imagine I'll have a lot more to post in Summer.


	13. Bark at the Moon

_It's been a while since I tossed up a short. This one's another contest piece, with the topic "Write a non eastern myth into Gensoukyo."_

* * *

"So some youkai's been noisy at night. No one in the village is complaining. If it's bothering you go exterminate it yourself."

Sanae fumed as Reimu went back to sipping her tea. The wind priestess knew Reimu was lazy, but she hadn't expected this complete disinterest.

Apparently she needed to try a different tactic. "But it's a weird youkai. The kappa and the tengu don't seem to know anything about it. They only know that it sounds like a young wolf when it howls at the moon. It might even be a werewolf!"

"Hm..." Reimu thought for a moment. "Maybe. But if someone was missing from the village we'd know about it. And if it's just a wandering werewolf it should be fine."

"Fine! It's a werewolf! What'll we do if it eats someone?" Sanae glared at Reimu, hoping her miracle powers could summon the concept of shame.

Reimu just sighed and smiled. "I don't know what they tell you outside, but Therianthropes are usually friendly." Reimu gave her a strong look. "I'm not going unless there's a real threat. Or unless someone's paying me."

Sanae was trying to form a retort when a third voice interrupted her thoughts. "Hm... So you're looking into the werewolf as well Miss Kochiya."

Sanae turned at the voice to find the maid from the Scarlet Devil Mansion standing there. Reimu looked up as well. "Ah, Sakuya. Did that thing disturb Remilia's sleep?"

"Nothing so dire as that Reimu." Sakuya shrugged slightly while closing her eyes. Sanae wondered if that was how Sakuya hid her exasperation. "The mistress apparently thought a guard dog would be a nice addition to the mansion."

"A maid's life, eh? Well just don't stir anything big up," Reimu stated before returning to her tea.

Sanae sighed again. "Is she always this lazy Sakuya?"

"Yes." Sakuya chuckled slightly. "But that might be her greatest strength."

"I'm right here you know," Reimu groused.

Sakuya ignored the chastisement. "In any case, it seems we have similar goals Ms Kochiya. Shall we team up for this little expedition?"

"Sure!" Sanae smiled. It seemed her trip to the Hakurei shrine hadn't been a waste after all.

* * *

The trip to the gorge was uneventful. Sakuya was silent as they flew, and Sanae didn't feel like trying to pry anything out of the maid.

The forest below them changed, first from a normal stand of trees to the strange tangle of the forest of magic, then from that deep forest to the chaparral that surrounded the gorge for no good reason. One of the oddities of Gensoukyo.

Sakuya suddenly spoke up. "Hm, this is good. Whatever the youkai is, it's not actively looking for a battle."

"Eh?" Sanae looked over at the maid. "How do you know?"

Sakuya waved her hand at the clear skies around them. "No fairy swarms. Any time someone's spoiling for a fight or pouring a lot of magic into the area there's a lot of fairies starting trouble."

Sanae nodded. That made sense from what she'd learned of Gensoukyo. "So you're saying whatever lives here isn't a threat?"

"Isn't currently a threat Ms. Kochiya." Sanae flinched at Sakuya's chiding tone. "It would be foolish to assume things stay that way when we start to hunt it."

"Right." Sanae turned her attention back to her surroundings.

Then she stiffened. Someone brushed against her mind like a feather duster. A presence that was both familiar and strange. She held up her hand to stop Sakuya, then closed her eyes. Yes, the presence was there, below them both. And she was almost certain she knew what it was.

She opened her eyes again. "There's a native god here."

Sakuya raised an eyebrow at that. "A native god? Really? Do you think it connected to our prey?"

Sanae shook her head. "I don't think so. Lady Kanako would know if one of the wolf gods had arrived in Gensoukyo. Most of those are fairly powerful. However we shouldn't raise the god's ire."

"Hm..." Sanae shivered a bit as a knife appeared in Sakuya's hands. A shadow seemed to have fallen over the normally laid back maid's face. "I have no issues with killing gods." Sanae breathed easier when Sakuya's casual smile returned. "Still that would delay our mission. I'll trust you to appease the deity if we run afoul of it."

"Right." Sanae looked back towards the gorge. "Hm... I bet the youkai we're looking for is at the bottom, because of the river."

"If it is a werebeast it would need water," Sakuya agreed. "We won't have as much light down there though."

"Don't worry about light." Sanae replied cheerfully. "That's an easy miracle."

Sakuya's smile widened. "Very well. Let us begin the hunt in earnest."

* * *

Sanae was certain that some sort of divine presence was messing with things as soon as the two landed. The sun was already hidden by the gorges steep walls, but it was just as warm here at the bottom as it was at ground level. She expected Sakuya to comment on it, but the maid remained fairly oblivious. "So, um, now what?"

Sakuya stood and thought for a moment. "I believe the accepted strategy is to look for clues. I would not suggest splitting up however. That tended to end badly."

"Right." Sanae started looking around the area. The scrub brush here was much thicker, but since she could fly that wasn't that big a problem. Still the search seemed a daunting task.

The two spent about fifteen minutes searching. During that time Sanae found a couple of rabbits, several snakes, and a millipede, but no sign of anything larger.

"Ah! Perhaps this is what we're looking for."

Sanae turned to find Sakuya pointing down at some tracks. Floating over Sanae could see they were somewhat doglike, though maybe a little small for a wolf. "Hm... Maybe it is a kid." Sanae mused.

"Or perhaps a young youkai," Sakuya added.

A shrill piercing howl suddenly sounded through the gully. Sanae's heart jumped into her throat as the yips and howls echoed into a deafening chorus.

The howls died down but Sanane didn't relax. She could hear something coming through the bushes quickly towards them! She pulled out her youkai sealing amulets and tried to steady her nerves.

As the figure burst out of the shrubbery Sanae started her attack, then halted when she saw it was only a purple haired fairy. The fairy screamed at the sight of them and fainted. Which was probably the only thing that saved it from getting skewered by one of Sakuya's knives.

Sakuya coughed. "My apologies Ms Kochiya. It seems I acted a little hastily." The knives she was holding disappeared. "Perhaps you could talk with this fairy after we revive her?"

Sanae took a few steadying breaths. "I can try. My last fairy interrogation didn't go well."

"The ice fairy is a little different then normal," Sakuya replied. "And you can use me as 'bad cop' as it were."

Sanae sighed and moved towards the unconscious spirit. "Alright, let's see what she knows."

It only took a few splashes of water before the fairy revived. "Ah!" The fairy flinched away.

"Sorry about that. We thought you were the one making those noises." Sanane paused as a thought occurred to her. "You aren't right?"

The fairies face scrunched up in confusion. "Why would I run from myself?"

"Good point." Sanae reached out her hand to help the fairy up. "I'm Sanae Kochiya of the Moriya Shrine. What's your name?"

The fairy took Sanae's hand and got to her feet. The little creature was surprisingly heavy. "I'm Sugar Satellite. I heard there was a strong youkai down here, so I wanted to play a prank on it. But I haven't seen it at all. Just heard those howls." The fairy shivered. "That last one was close. I was afraid it had found me."

Sanae refrained from pointing out that it probably wasn't a good idea to prank something that might be deadly. "So you haven't seen any clues?"

"Not anything other then the tracks." The fairy dusted herself off. Then looked up at the two hunters. "Oh! Are you here to prank that youkai too? I can help!" The fairy put her hands on her hips and pushed out her chest. "My power can hide the presence of things."

Sanae looked over at Sakuya. She wasn't sure about having a fairy along on the trip, but the maid had a lot more experience with the nature spirits. Sakuya thought for a moment then nodded. "We'd be glad to have you along, Sugar Satellite. By the way my name is Sakuya Izayoi of the scarlet devil mansion."

"Okay!" The fairy nodded in return. "So what's the plan?"

Sanae decided to go with the obvious. "Well first we could follow these tracks..."

* * *

Several hours later Sanae was beginning to wonder if the obvious decision had been an obvious mistake. Every time there was a loose rock, thorny plant or deep section of river, the tranks were sure to go straight through them. "Maybe this wasn't a good plan." She looked back at Sakuya. "I don't suppose Akyuu was right and you've got some secret vampire hunter tracking trick up your sleeve?"

Sakuya shook her head. "Even if I was formerly a vampire hunter, a very big if, why would I know how to track? One does not track vampires. At least not conventionally." Sakuya shrugged. "Perhaps there's a miracle you could perform to make this easier?"

"Hm..." Sanae considered the matter, before shaking her head. "I still sense that divine presence. I don't want to wake anything up by performing any large miracles here."

"Inconvenient," Sakuya said with a sigh.

Sugar looked back and forth between the two, confused by the exchange. "You can sense there's a god here?"

"Yeah. Something to investigate later," Sanae replied. She looked up at the rapidly darkening sky with a frown. "Though, it'll be dark soon. Maybe we should come back tomorrow?"

Sakuya nodded. "The moon will be full tonight. I don't want to confront any youkai at the height of their power. They tend to be unreasonable then."

Sanae wondered if Sakuya was including her mistress in that statement.

"Ah over here!"

Sanae and Sakuya turned to to find Sugar pulling something off one of the branches thorns. Sanae hurried over. It would be nice to find some clue other then these infuriating footprints.

Sugar held up her discovery when the two arrived. It was a clump of grey hair with the faintest trace of blood on it. "It looks like it got some fur caught on the bush here. And the bloods fresh, we can't be far behind."

"That's great!" Sanae felt her spirits rise at the discovery. "Maybe we could stay a little longer Sakuya? At least until the sun completely sets."

Sakuya smiled. "Yes we should continue this hunt." She snatched the hairs out from the fairies grasp. "And with this we should be able to find the creature easily."

"Huh?" Sanae's eyebrow jumped up at that. "How so?"

"Simple." The maid smiled brightly. "With this fetish I should be able to cast a spell that will track the creature no matter where it goes. A primitive magic, but very effective."

"Eh?" Sanae and the fairy both started. "You can use magic?"

"I would think that was obvious. Unprotected humans can't survive a blow from a magical creature such as a vampire. And silver knives can't keep an edge without help" Sakuya stated. She coughed lightly. "Though I merely picked up some spells from the library. I'm hardly a real magician."

Sakuya moved to a flat patch of ground and waved the two over. "In any case, this shouldn't take long. We simply need to build a fire. Then I can set up the trace."

"Um, are you sure this will work?" Sugar Satilite asked worriedly. "I mean, you don't want to get cut here after dark right?"

The thought brought a bit of a chill to Sanae's spine. She was tougher then most youkai, but she still wasn't completely comfortable with the more dangerous creatures of Gensoukyo.

Sanae shook that thought off. She was a goddess. She shouldn't be afraid of the dark. "This chance might not come again. We should do this now." Sanae turned back towards the brush. "You should look for some dry wood for the fire. I'll get kindling."

The three quickly gathered everything Sakuya needed. Sugar didn't really help much at all, since all the wood she brought back was wet, but given they didn't need that big a fire it was fine. Sakuya set up the wood to catch quickly, then summoned a small flame and dropped it onto the kindling.

Sanae felt a jolt run through her as the leaves flared, then snuffed out.

A brief smile flickered over Sakuya's face. "How annoying." The maid called forth flame again, and again a jolt of power rushed over Sanae as the flames died.

Sugar laughed uneasily. "Well, that won't work. I guess we'd better give up for today, right?"

Sanae saw Sakuya's eyes flick over to the fairy as that smirk reappeared. "Now now. We haven't lost yet."

Sanae smiled as she realized what Sakuya was getting at. "Indeed. I think a miracle might solve all our problems." Sanae fought to keep from laughing as Sugar tensed. Instead she focused on the miracle.

It was obvious that the power stopping Sakuya had power over fire, so Sanae decided to try a different tactic. She scooped up some water, then dumped it on the wood. Sugar's worry turned into confusion. "Huh, what are you doing?"

Sanae said nothing as she tossed another scoop of water onto the wood. Then a third. She made sure her movements were deliberate. The ritual was stronger if the people watching were absorbed in it.

When she was certain both Sakuya and Sugar were giving her their full attention she clapped her hands together twice and called out to the flames.

The wood erupted into a merry blaze. Sakuya hurriedly tossed the hairs and blood into the fire. Sanae felt power flow through the area again, and the flames died like a snuffed candle, but it was too late.

The smoke from the dead blaze curled up around Sakuya's knife, then shot out to surround 'Sugar Satellite.' The little youkai sighed. "Fuck."

Sanae moved to circle the fake fairy while Sakuya pointed her knife at Sugar. "It's been a while since I studied the scripture, but I believe the follow up to that miracle involves us slaughtering those that serve false deities. Perhaps we can settle for liars?"

A wave of bright light washed out from the youkai, blinding Sanae. When her vision cleared her breath stopped. Before her was a great dragon, its golden coils twisting through the sky of the canyon.

The might beast spoke, each word a reverberation that made Sanae shiver. "Well done humans. You have peirced my disguise. Your wisdom and cunning impress me. I shall grant you each a wish."

Sakuya coughed. "I wish you'd stop giving us the runaround. Dragons don't wield divine power. Sanae's been sensing you all this time."

"Ah. You are wise." The dragon shifted, becoming a beautiful serpent with rainbow wings. "I am Quetzalcoatl. I sought a form more fitting with your expectations as is my want, but this is my true appearance." The serpent looked down on them. "Now come. Tell me what you wish as a reward for your cleverness."

Something flickered to life in the back of Sanae's mind. She looked carefully at the great feathered serpent. Could a god who's followers were almost all dead really still survive? She tried to recall what she knew about Quetzalcoatl.

"Come. Speak up," the god said. Sakuya looked to Sanae questioningly. Obviously Sakuya wasn't certain if this was another deception.

And with that it clicked. Sanae realized what was wrong.

"Quetzalcoatl is a wind god. You have power over fire." Sanae looked up at the impostor. "And Quetzalcoatl is a ruling god. He changes forms, but he wouldn't stoop to trickery for fun. No, you aren't Quetzalcoatl."

"But you are a god. And a god has to leave clues about their true nature, otherwise they'll lose faith." Sanae quickly thought through the gods she'd studied in school. The legends that she alone had known were real. "I know who you are. You're Coyote!"

The serpent stilled. "Crap."

The giant feathers serpent twisted and funneled in on itself, the colors slowly dimming to grays and browns, until all that remained was a dog like creature with large ears and bushy tail. The creature reared back and unleashed the same high pitched howl that had rattled through the canyon before. Then there was a glow and the coyote shifted into a striking androgynous figure wearing simple traveling clothes. Coyote bowed slightly and smiled. "A fine guess little deity. And well done to you, maid. I was certain I could hide from the complex rituals of the magicians of these lands, but hiding from the first magics is beyond one such as I." Coyote sighed. "I considered fleeing into dreams for another round, but these days that would be a waste of faith. You may consider this your victory."

Sanae forced herself to stay on guard. Completely trusting a trickster god was a recipe for disaster. "So what are you doing here?"

"Ah, well that's a sadly simple story. My friend Raven visited here to court that new goddess that appeared here. After he struck out he returned home with tales of these beautiful lands." Coyote shrugged. "So I decided to take a vacation."

Sakuya folded her arms and shook her head. "Well Lady Remilia has no use for a god. I don't think coyotes make good guards. What do you want to do, Sanae?"

Sanae considered the matter for a bit longer. "Hm... Sakuya, I think we made a mistake."

"Hm, what's that?" the maid asked.

Sanae smiled at Coyote. "You haven't had someone from Gensoukyo officially greet you yet, have you?"

"Why no my dear priestess. Is that an offer?" the god replied with a wolfish grin.

In a flash Sanae pulled out a pack of ofuda from her sleeve. "Well then, I'll be happy to give you a proper welcome! After all you can't let yourself be restrained by common sense in Gensoukyo."

Coyote froze in shock, while Sakuya burst out laughing. "A fine sentiment. Yes, let's finish this properly."

Coyote stood there in silence for a few moments, then his grin returned. "Very well. Let's try out this spellcard game." Flames sprouted in the air as the god floated up to gain altitude. "I was quick and clever enough to steal these fires from the sun itself. Can you match my legend with your own?"

"Of course!" the duo replied as they jumped into the sky.

And as the duel unfolded in the sky, two souls grew closer to their adopted home, while another found a place of it's own among the illusions.


	14. Champion of the Wastes

_Sadly can't handle the proper formatting for this story, but readers shouldn't miss too much.  
_

* * *

Maribel twisted the knob on the radio very slightly. As she did the boundary between noise and signal shifted just enough to begin to hear the station. "I got it!" she proclaimed, twisting the knob a little more to lock the signal in. Soon "A kiss to build a dream on" was playing out over the scrub land.

Renko smiled as she steered around a rock. "Good job Mary. It was getting boring without the radio. Not that I don't enjoy your voice but..."

Maribel's reply was cut off by the guttural sound of a motorcycle's engine. Speeding out from behind the frame of a house came two bikes. They quickly pulled aside the car, on either side. The riders wore leather and sported mohawks. More disturbingly they carried what looked to be wood handled axes. The human closest to Renko pointed his weapon at the girl and yelled something unintelligible over the engine noise before laughing.

Renko sighed. "Why do they always come out during the good songs? Can you handle this Mary?"

Maribel's expression had turned grim. "I can only get the one on my side."

Renko sighed again. "Oh well." She made a little shooing motion with her hand towards the biker.

The man looked startled, then angry. He raised his axe and veered closer. Renko quickly took one hand off the wheel to reach into her coat.

Two shots rang through the air.

After the crashing had died down Renko stopped the car and hopped out. "Might as well search them for food and water," she said.

Maribel nodded once again. Unlike her friend she hadn't become quite as desensitized to the new world.

As the two began searching through the wreckage for anything useful, the radio announcer began speaking. "Hellllloooo Residents of the Japanese Wastelands! This is Captain Minamitsu Murasa, broadcasting to you live from the palanquin ship stuck in orbit right above your heads. We promise music for all, human, mutant, ghoul or youkai. Satellite radio at its finest."

"Quick news update. We've received word that there's a new player out there. Apparently this young lady isn't interested in pyramids or nation building, but she packs quite a punch none the less. Rumor has it she stayed in the underground for a while after the war, but she's out now and giving bandits, warlords and occasionally villages more boom then they can handle."

Maribel looked over at Renko. "Think that's the one Yumemi wants us to find?"

Renko nodded.

"Accounts vary as to her name, powers or race, but they all say that unlike the rest of us youkai she didn't get hit nearly as hard with the nerf bat. So be kind to random strangers you meet in the wilds, because this is one Ranger of the Wastes you don't want to mess with."

"And now back to music. Here's another song from the '50s, an ironic little ditty by Tom Lehrer. Enjoy folks."

Soon the sound of the piano rang out leading into "All Go Together When We Go." Maribel sighed. "I think that ghost has a very warped sense of humor."

Renko grunted her agreement as she tossed they supplies the found onto the back seat. "Yeah. I liked the Elements song better anyway."

Once again their car sped off into the wastelands.

* * *

The village was a piecemeal construction of concrete, metal and wood. Half the buildings were patched up prewar buildings, but the other half looked like they had mostly been put together from the ground up. That was a good sign, as was the well and the gardens around the area. It meant the village was rich enough to not need to rob travelers of their valuables. Like say all the metal in their car.

The saloon was another good sign to Maribel's thinking. It meant they could get real supplies for the search yet to come. Scavenging these days was more likely to find goods then food. Twinkies might not go bad normally, but if they were too irradiated only ghouls would eat them, and most ghouls would try to eat your face first.

Renko parked the car in the central square, pulled the face off the radio and smoothed her ankle long white cloak. "I hope we don't get a ticket," she said flippantly as she locked her door.

Maribel sighed, then grinned and hopped out of her door. "I'm more worried about you forgetting where you parked it," she retorted as she flipped open the trunk to grab some trading goods. She noticed the villagers coming out to stare at the two girls, but none of them seemed to have a weapon or enough magical power to be dangerous without one.

Maribel finished filling her bag and slammed the trunk shut. She nodded to the few villagers standing around, then followed Renko into the saloon.

The bar was made of cement, and the furniture was all scavenged, but the locals all seemed well dressed, and the radio was playing "Mr Sandman," creating a strangely homey air. Maribel relaxed a little. She thought Renko did too, but Renko always looked relaxed, even when she was ready to kill someone.

The bartender bowed to them. "Hello ladies, and welcome to our humble village. Are you passing through, or looking for a place to settle down?"

Renko slid into one of the stools next to the bar, and Maribel followed after. "Just passing through," Renko replied. "We're looking for someone, though we're happy to do some trading and message delivery along the way."

"Hrm... That sounds good to me." The bartender pulled out a water purifier and two cups. "Need something to wet your throats?"

Renko looked over at Maribel, and she nodded before turning her eyes to to container. After a few seconds her eyes revealed there was no boundary in the liquid. It was either safe to drink, or not water at all.

With that Mary nodded and pulled out two bottles of Fabreeze. "A gallon of water, dinner for two, and credit for a night at whatever passes for an inn if you've got one."

The bartender looked at the cleaning solution carefully, then sniffed the bottles. "Well that seems to be a fair trade miss. Pleasure doing business with you." He placed the water next to them along with the glasses. "There's only a little more then a gallon left in here. Feel free to help yourselves."

Renko shifted the bottle to make sure the weight was right. "Thanks. Mind if I ask a question?"

The man shrugged. "Sure, though I can't guarantee an answer. This place is pretty far off the beaten path."

"Have you seen someone wandering around who still had strong combat magic?" Renko asked quietly so her voice wouldn't carry to the other customers.

The man paused at that. "I don't know who you're looking for ma'am. But I'm very happy to say I haven't seen anyone like that." He shook his head. "This is a quiet town. We've only got one youkai, and she's a little different from the rest."

Renko frowned at the man's dismissal of youkai, but anything she might have said to Renko was interrupted by a commotion from outside.

Maribel turned to see a black haired woman in a white cape standing next to the well and pulling on the rope. Two villagers carrying spears backed up by one with a rifle ran over to the woman. "Hey! You can't just take water!" The woman didn't seem to notice them, she just kept pulling on the rope. She didn't even stop when one of the men prodded her with a spear. "Hey! Listen to us!"

It didn't take magic powers to tell this was going to end messily the way things were going. Maribel decided to change that. She flipped out a packet of radiation medicine. "Room and food for three, plus whatever she drinks."

The bartender snatched up the medicine, then bellowed out, "It's okay, she's paid for!" Then he turned back to her and shook his head. "That was nice of you, but I don't think you should be making a habit of it. Seems like a real good way to get fleeced."

Renko just stood and sighed. "Well I guess we should check up on your new stray. It was easier when you stuck to kittens you know."

* * *

The woman gave a sigh of relief as she slammed her glass back down on the table. "Phew! I thought I was in real trouble. Thanks you two."

"Don't worry about it," Maribel replied. "It's important to help people out when they're in trouble."

Renko just sighed and shook her head. Everything about the woman screamed stray, from her ragged cape, to her mismatched boots. The woman didn't even have a full knapsack, just a pouch and a canteen. Renko wondered how the woman had survived this long. "So how'd you end up here?"

"Unyuu?" The woman looked confused. "Uh... Well I walked." She thought for a little longer. "I guess I'm lost." She turned back to the two. "Anyway I'm Utsuho Reiuji. Hell crow. Nice to meet you," she finished with a slight bow.

Renko nodded. Well that explained how the woman was still alive. Underground youkai were resistant to radiation, and perfectly happy to scavenge corpses.

"Maribel Hearn, and this is my friend Renko Usami," Maribel replied. "If you want you can travel with us for a bit."

"Really?" Utsuho smiled broadly. "I can ride in that car with you? Thank you, again! Most people don't like traveling with youkai."

Maribel returned the smile. "We don't have any problem with it, so long as you don't try to eat anyone who's alive."

"Don't worry. The shrine maiden taught me that lesson long ago. Dead people hurt you a whole lot less, and you can actually eat them." Utsuho looked painfully serious. Renko had to force down a laugh.

Renko nudged Maribel and whispered to her friend, "I don't suppose this is the powerful youkai Yumemi sent us after?"

Maribel shrugged. "She is a youkai, but she's really weak. I can barely sense any magic."

"Uh, I can hear you ya know." Maribel and Renko both winced at that. It seemed their new stray had good ears at least. Utsuho sighed and smoothed her cape. "But yeah, my youkai powers are pretty much gone. I can't even shift to crow form." She frowned. "I'm not sure if that makes me better or worse off then the ones that got stuck in crow form."

Renko sighed and started fanning herself with her hat. "I don't suppose you know any youkai that kept their powers?"

Utsuho grew silent for a moment. The youkai absently rubbed her collarbone, for a moment. "Yeah. I know one or two." She looked back at Renko. "But they're really dangerous people. And their powers can only hurt others."

Renko had to ask, "Where are they now?" She caught Maribel's worried look. "Sorry Mary, but this is the first info we've gotten. We have to check it out."

Maribel didn't look happy, but she nodded.

Utsuho shook her head. "It's a bad idea you two. But the people you're looking for are south."

Renko nodded. "Are you willing to travel with us there? Or should we drop you off along the way?"

"Unyuu..." Utsuho thought long and hard. "We'll see when it comes up, right?"

Maribel shook her head to clear it, then smiled again. "Well for now, we should stock up on supplies then find the inn. You'll help carry right Utsuho?"

"Sure thing!" the hell crow said with a wide grin.

* * *

The inn wasn't as well furnished as the bar, though the walls were a lot more sturdy. Apparently it doubled as a hospital, though the couple running the place assured them that they used different rooms for visitors and patients. Given the general lack of travelers these days, Maribel believed them.

Still, even the plastic chairs and table were a nice change from the road.

Utsuho looked around the table. "Hm? Five places... are you eating with us?"

The inkeeper smiled and shook her head. "Ah no, we have two more guests who eat here though. They should be by soon."

Maribel blinked. "Who would that be?" She doubted most people had the goods to eat out even semi regularly.

The inkeeper's husband spoke up. "The scavengers. We had a cockroach youkai show up about 4 months back to scavenge the ruins."

"I'm a firefly!"

At that everyone turned to the door where two small dusty figures stood. Both wore goggles, face scarves and ragged capes. The taller one's dirty green hair and antennae marked which one was the youkai.

With a clang the firefly youkai put down a gas canister. "The week's rent and food."

The innkeeper gave her chagrined husband an elbow, then picked up the gas canister. "Thank you Wriggle. As you can see, we have other guests. I hope you and Lin are fire with company."

The shorter figure shook its head. "No problems here," Wriggle replied. The youkai started taking off the scavenger gear.

Lin turned out to be a young girl, probably about 7. After introductions were passed around she plopped herself down right next to Utsuho, who proceeded to spend most of the meal doing her best to get the child to laugh. And frequently succeeding.

Wriggle kept a paternal eye on the young girl in between inspecting all of the travelers. Maribel inspected the youkai in return. She caught Renko's questioning glance and shook her head. Wriggle was even weaker then Utsuho was.

"So how'd you get here?" Wriggle asked.

"We drove in from the northern roads," Maribel said. "Um, Utsuho just walked here, somehow."

Wriggle raised an eyebrow at that. "You guys are all lucky then. There are a lot of bandits in that area. A couple of big gangs too. They mostly spend their time abusing the little villages here in the mountains, but travelers tend to get picked off sooner or later."

Renko smoothed her cloak. "Well, we aren't completely helpless."

"I guess that's gotta be true," Wriggle said. "Still, I've heard some gangs are led by some of the tougher youkai. Bullets won't work on them." The firefly sighed. "Wish I kept that power..."

There was a hurried knocking on the door. Everyone turned to see the bartender walk in and speak to the innkeeper and her husband in hushed whispers. After a few moments the innkeeper walked over. "It seems someone got hurt trying to get some work finished before nightfall. Don't worry yourselves."

Maribel considered offering her first aid skills, but the doctor already had a kit in hand as he headed out. There was no need for an amateur like herself to get in the man's way. Instead she turned back to Wriggle. "So how did Lin here get involved in scavenging?"

The little girl looked up at the sound of her name, and all of the table gave her a reassuring smile, Wriggle going so far as to pat her on the head. She giggled and returned to trying to snatch a piece of bread from Utusho's hand. "She lost her family to one of those bandit groups, or at least that's the guess. Lost her voice at the same time I'd guess..." Wriggle smiled. "Fortunately I found her in the city. She's a mutant, immune to radiation like me. So I'm teaching her how to scavenge. There's gonna be a market for that far longer then I'm likely to live, much less a human."

"Hm... Have you heard of any youkai who've kept their powers? Or at least have powers above simple immunities and weak magic?" Renko asked.

The conversation halted temporarily as the innkeeper brought in a final serving of soup.

"Well some of the lycanthropes have kept their speed," Wriggle said. "I've heard that vampires didn't lose anything, but well no one likes them anyway."

Wriggle's eyes narrowed, "Why are you so interested? And how are you equipped so well? I can tell your clothes were machine manufactured, and they haven't been repaired often enough for you to be professional wastelanders. Where are you really from?"

Maribel was surprised at how quickly they'd been seen through. She hoped Wriggle was just particularly observant. Unfortunately Utsuho and Lin were both now staring at her and Renko. It was obvious part of their secret was out.

Renko sighed. "Alright, I don't want to go around advertising this, but there was a small university that missed the big boom. That of course means jack squat normally, but one of the teachers there was one hundred percent mad scientist. Pure insane genius. Yumemi Okazaki is her name. She managed to rebuild the whole ecosystem within 4 miles, and with that we've got something resembling civilization going."

The three other girls were staring at them wide eyed at this point. Renko checked to make sure the innkeeper wasn't listening in before continuing. "Of course we're losing tools faster then we can replace them, but she says that somewhere out there is a youkai who might be able to control radiation. If we can find that person..."

Utsuho frowned. "That sounds like kinda a fool's quest." She yawned. "I mean there are a whole lotta youkai out there."

Maribel yawned then nodded. "Yes. But if we succeed..."

Wriggle yawned, then stood up suddenly, causing her chair to collapse to the floor. "Wait, why are we so sleepy..."

Maribel couldn't answer, because she was already slipping into darkness.

* * *

Renko groaned as she woke up. The ceiling above her was concrete and she wasn't on anything resembling a bed.

Then she remembered what happened and she sat upright.

She was sitting in what could only be considered a cell. Her coat and all her guns were missing. Maribel was muttering and stirring behind her, Wriggle was sitting back to the wall looking glum and Utsuho was snoring at the back of the room where the barred window was.

"I see the poison wore off," Wriggle said.

Renko groaned and rubbed her sore back. "What the hell? Do they normally drug visitors here?"

"I'm very sorry about this, but it's for the good of our village," came the bartender's voice from the door. "Someone killed some of Zed's men, and he'll be coming here to demand reparations. We'll try  
to talk him down, but you have to understand that if that fails..."

Wriggle jumped up to face the door. "Stop looking for excuses you old bastard! You're selling us out because you're a coward!"

Renko on the other hand tried to keep a steady voice. "I don't suppose you'd be smart about this and just let Mary and I take care of him?"

There was no response. Apparently the man didn't intend to stick around.

Wriggle sat back down, while Renko moved to check that Mary was still okay. Maribel opened her eyes as Renko shook her. "Ugh. They drugged us?"

"Yeah apparently they want us to comfort some local robber over the loss of his men," Renko tried to keep her voice light. "You know anything about this 'Zed'?" she asked Wriggle.

Wriggle looked down on the ground. "Some kinda youkai. Usually runs with other youkai and mutants. They say he kills anyone who crosses him, men, women or children."

Renko cursed. "And this guy is dangerous enough that they grabbed you too, just in case he wanted a cute boy. Wonderful."

"I'M A GIRL," Wriggle snapped.

Renko flushed. "I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't make girls cry, Renko," Maribel said as she pulled herself up. Mary frowned and rubbed her own sore spots. "Do we know how much time we have?"

Wriggle shook her head. "No clue. They'll be here soon though. No way the village got more then a day's warning."

"Right," Renko took a look at the still sleeping Utsuho, then to the window. "So we have to get out of here fast." She took a few experimental tugs at the bars. Sadly they seemed very sturdy. Next  
she turned to the door. The hinges were on the inside, but they looked fairly tough. There was no keyhole on this side of the door either, but she was sure the door was both locked and barred.

Behind her Utsuho yawned and stretched. "Unyuu?" The hell raven looked around. "Is this our room?"

"Technically," Renko replied as she searched through her dress. "Maribel, you still have a file?"

"Yeah. It looks like they didn't search me as much. Probably because I wasn't carrying 30 pounds of weaponry." Renko took the file Mary offered and started in on the hinges.

Utsuho looked around a bit more. "There's no beds."

"That's because this is a cell, bird brain!" Wriggle snarled.

"Unyuu?" Utsho stood. "A cell? Why are we in a cell?"

"Because I haven't finished breaking us out," Renko replied. It was best to keep positive in these kinds of situations.

Apparently Utsuho believed that as well. "Oh! Okay." The hell raven looked out the window. "Huh. There are a lot more people outside. More youkai too. Oh and mutants."

Renko attempted to speed up her file work. "Great. I don't suppose they look friendly."

"It's hard to say," replied Utsuho. "The humans seem to mostly be hiding behind cover. The youkai seem to be laughing though." Even Utsuho wasn't dumb enough to consider that a good sign.

"Who looks to be the boss?" Renko asked to take her mind off the abrasions the file was giving her.

Utusho hummed in thought. "Oh! I bet it's the werewolf up front!"

Wriggle groaned. "A werewolf? No one in this town is gonna have silver weapons."

Renko was about to reply when the cells inner window slid open. Before Renko had time to react a key flew in through the window. Then she heard footsteps running away.

Wriggle picked up the key and shook her head. "Damn it Lin, why didn't you run? I told you that's the first thing you should do." There was no reproach in her voice, just frustration.

"It seems she's just too nice," Maribel said with a faint smile.

Gunshots rang out from the square below and Utsuho sighed. "Looks like negotiations failed." Renko's heart started beating a little faster.

"Damn!" Wriggle threw down the key. "Now we're all trapped inside, and the damn key doesn't work because there's no keyhole on this side. Fuck!" The firefly did a credible jump kick into the door, but it didn't even shudder. She fell onto her back and yelped in pain. Renko shook her head and went back to filing.

"Hey, you should be careful," Utsuho chastised as she and Mary moved to help Wriggle stand. "You could have hurt yourself."

"That doesn't really matter now does it?" Wriggle yelled back. "While we're all trapped in here they're gonna shoot all the townsfolk, then Lin, then they'll find us and probably kill us for fun too!"

"They're gonna kill Lin?" Utsuho asked in a soft voice. Renko sighed. Surely the youkai couldn't be that naive.

"Well they might take her as a slave." Maribel shook her head sadly. "But most raiding bands don't have use for a child."

"Is that so." Utsuho stood up, her head lowered. Then she walked right up to Renko. "Step back please."

The woman's voice was so different Renko found herself obeying instinctively. She caught herself and started to ask why, when Utsuho lifted her right foot, the one with the larger boot, and kicked the door open with a painful screech of metal.

Renko could only stare as Utsuho walked down the hallway towards where the stairs should be.

Wriggle recovered a moment earlier and sped down the hallway as well. However she made sure to peek into every window she could. Five doors down she shouted out "Aha!" then unlocked the door with the key. Renko and Mary ran over.

Renko smiled at the site before her. All their stuff was there, ready to be given to the bandit lord as tribute. "Good work!" she told Wriggle as grabbed her coat and hat. Maribel had reacquired her rifle and seemed to be loaning Wriggle her pistol. Renko's grin widened. Now was the time to show the wasteland who was boss. "Give me covering fire, Mary," she called out as she ran towards the window.

"Dammit. Renko you idiot!" Mary yelled as Renko kicked out the glass window here then jumped through.

She landed perfectly, rolling on her shoulder like she was supposed to, then used the momentum to get to her feet. As she rose she pulled out two normal pistols and fired them at two human bandits that were carrying guns. They dropped quickly.

An oni started running towards her, but she ignored that for now. First shot was a cold iron bullet to put a fae down, then another two lead bullets to take out a mutant. Maribel finished off another mutant right before Renko whipped out one of her specials and fired a bean straight into the oni's screaming mouth. The creature dropped to the ground, dead, the allergen having penetrated it's brain.

"Hold your fire or I swear I'll rip this girl in half!"

Renko whirled at the command then froze. Standing among the remaining robbers was a massive werewolf, and in his hands he was holding the trembling body of Lin.

Renko relaxed, then drew a pistol faster then the eye could see. "This one's silver, 'Zed.' Put the girl down and walk away or I'll shoot you in the face."

One of the mutants next to Zed blinked then pointed at her. "B~Boss! That's 'Wheel-Lock Renko!' I heard from up north that she's got like fifty of those weird muzzle loaders, each designed to kill a different creature." The other bandits all seemed to take a half step back.

"How come you get the awesome name?" Maribel asked from the window.

Renko smiled sweetly. "Because I've got the better gimmick."

"Ahahaha! That's pretty impressive girl." Zed smirked and tightened his grip slightly. "But at this distance you gotta know you won't kill me fast enough to save this girl's life."

Renko's smile faded. The bastard was right. She couldn't guarantee an instant kill, and werewolves could still fight even as they bled out. But she couldn't put her gun down either.

They were at an impasse.

Then Renko heard the steady crunch of dirt as someone walked out next to her. Renko was once again speechless as Utusho just walked steady past her towards the group of men, armed with absolutely nothing.

Zed stared at her incredulously. "What! You think you're some kinda tough guy? You think I won't kill this girl?"

Utsuho slowly cracked her knuckles, then looked at the werewolf.

"Drop her."

"You arrogant bitch!" Four of the leading bandits, enraged at such casual defiance rushed forward with swords and axes raised.

"Ha!" Utsuho's foot moved in a blur as sent a roundhouse kick across the face of each man, then flipped over their heads to stand before the werewolf.

"What the hell?" Muttered one of the mutants rubbing his jaw. Then a look of horror crossed the four bandits' faces.

"What" "What is this!" "It hurts!"

They all screamed as their heads bulged, then exploded as crimson bullets made of magic flew out. Everyone stood in shocked silence for a moment.

"You bitch! You killed my men. For that the girl dies!" Zed roared. Lin gave a brief scream.

"Uuaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Utsuho screamed to the heavens, and black wings ripped from beneath her clothes to unfurl into the air. As the youkai's shirt frayed a terrifying sunburst scar was revealed on her collarbone.

"Yaaaa~at~at~at~at~at~at~at~at~at~at~at~at~at~tah!" Utsuho's hands moved in a blur as she struck the werewolf repeatedly. Each strike lifted the huge form off the ground fractionally. Lin flew from the man's hands and fell with a happy cry into Utsuho's arms as the werewolf crashed to the ground.

"That's..." Renko looked over to see Wriggle beside her. "I had heard some youkai had managed to keep their power alive through martial arts, but I never believed. It's insane... A martial art that allows the wielder to form danmaku inside the target, destroying them from the inside out. A godly technique."

The man sprung to his feat. "You bitch, I don't know what you did but-"

"Shinken Chichuu Tenteisei." Utusho said flatly. "You're already dead."

"Huh? Ugh!" Zed looked shocked then pain seeped into his features.

Then everyone had to shield their eyes as a miniature sun ripped out of his stomach. The man's screams peaked as the fireball started drawing the rest of his body in, then died as it finished consuming him and faded away.

For a long while everyone just stood there as Utsuho set Lin down then dusted the girl off. Then the bandits turned as one and ran.

Utsuho didn't even turn around. "Are you okay?"

Lin nodded, then smiled widely.

Renko breathed a huge sigh of relief. It looked like everything had worked out wonderfully.

Then she walked over to the bartender and placed her pistol behind his ear. His eyes went very wide when she cocked the hammer. "We need to talk," she said sweetly.

* * *

The new band of five drove through the wastes southward. Lin had insisted on following Wriggle and Utsuho, and no one had seemed keen to stop her. They'd started out in high spirits, but as always, there were some difficulties.

"Dammit, if you fried the radio with an EMP blast off that stupid sun..." Maribel ignored Renko's grousing and kept fiddling with the knobs. Eventually though the rant turned to her, "And I thought you said that bird didn't have any youkai powers."

"Actually I don't." Utsuho said sheepishly. "These are actually divine powers. I picked them up from the Yatagarasu."

Maribel gave the radio a light thump. "I still think we should head back now. Utsuho has to be the person Yumemi was looking for."

"Hm... I kinda agree with you," Renko admitted. "But since she apparently has business down south, we might as well find out about those other powerful youkai as well." Renko looked back at the three new travelers. "You all sure you're fine with going south?"

Utusho nodded while Wriggle just kept fanning the sleeping Lin. "We don't have pressing business, but sticking around that town would be stupid. A good scavenger knows when to get out."

Suddenly the radio squawked and Maribel could see some signal in all the noise. She started manipulating the boundary and sure enough...

"Hellllloooo Residents of the Japanese Wastelands! This is Captain Minamitsu Murasa, sending music to walk the plank and sink right down to your waiting ears. Satellite radio at its finest."

"We've got a special bonus for all you people. Someone downstairs managed to get through our 'phone lines', somehow, and beamed up about 5 million dollars worth of music. Well 5 mil in old RIAA terms that is. So here's some new oldies. You can all thank Chiyuri for this little set of ACDC, as we head down the Highway to Hell!"

Renko chuckled as the first chords started up. "Well that's kinda foreboding."

"Well, hell's not a bad place to be," Utsuho said knowingly.

The three others chuckled at that, leaving Utsuho blinking. "Maybe they'll play that later," Maribel offered.

"Hey!" Wriggle pointed to an odd colored strip of ground in front of them. "I think that's a road!"

Maribel peered ahead. "I think she's right!"

Renko smiled. "Well then, let's get some real distance."

Marible couldn't help relaxing as Renko switched gears and started roaring down the old road. Things were once again looking up.


	15. Drinking Games

The riotous sounds of a full Prismriver Concerto was blaring out from beneath the paper lanterns. Dinner was over, the snacks were out, and youkai and humans alike were starting some serious drinking. Which is why Sanae was in hiding.

She'd come to love Gensoukyo since her tumultuous arrival here. She loved the people, the magic, and even the parties. But there was one thing she'd never gotten used to: the drinking. She just didn't have the tolerance. Reimu and Marisa had started on sake when they were in their early teens. Meanwhile Sanae had just barely broken drinking age. And the youkai drank a lot. Simply put if she didn't hide for an hour when the drinking started some tengu or kappa would grab her by the arm and drag her over to a group, and within half an hour the trees would be spinning and she'd wake up tomorrow with a hangover. It wasn't her idea of fun.

"You really do need to work on your alcohol tolerance, Sanae." Sanae cringed as Kanako's voice came from the shadows behind her. "Our followers will think less of us if you have to hide in the middle of every festival."

Caught, she turned to face her goddess. "There's got to be a better way to gain tolerance then me just throwing back drinks until I pass out Lady Kanako. Is there a miracle for not getting drunk or something?"

Kanako chuckled as she stepped out of her hiding place. "There is, but we won't be needing it tonight. You see, the newcomers have started up a drinking contest. I think you'll enjoy that more then hiding in the bushes."

"A drinking contest?" Sanae's heart dropped out from under her. "I won't last ten minutes in a drinking contest with youkai!"

"Have some faith, Sanae." Kanako took her by the arm and Sanae followed along. "This isn't a plebeian contest, designed to get everyone drunk. This is a court contest. And most of the players were human, at one point."

"A court contest?" Sanae's worries were replaced by confusion. "They had drinking contests in court?"

"Of course," Kanako's smirk grew. "It was an important contest to test the wits of the courtiers, and to try to ferret out who wanted to sleep with you."

Sanae blinked at that. "Wait what?"

"You'll figure it out as you go along. The people who go first will show you how it's done." Kanako led Sanae around the back of the shrine, where the noises from the big party out front were muffled. A single slow moving stream cut through the grounds, leading to the turtle pond. Next to the stream were several ladies. Suwako she recognized at once, as well as Miko, Futo, and Tojiko from the recent incident. The Lunarians, Kaguya, Eirin, and Reisen, she knew more from their reputation. The group looked up at their approach and Sanae couldn't help feeling a little out of place, despite the smiles. Right here and now she couldn't help noticing she was one of the two people here who wasn't actual nobility.

"We're glad you two could join us," Kaguya said. "I think we still need a few more, however."

"They should be along shortly," Kanako said. "After all what tengu could miss figuring out the story behind the Goddess and her High Priestess sneaking behind the shrine."

There was a muttered curse, then Hatate, Aya and Momiji stepped out from behind the trees. "Looks like we've been caught."

"I just wanted to speak with Sanae," Momiji stated simply. "Though this looks like an interesting setup. If you want me to join..."

"We could use some more members yes, especially since we have to alter the rules a little to suit our current environs." Miko said. "Of course I should warn you, this game is somewhat... flirtatious. Some things should be left out of the papers."

Momiji raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "I would be honored to join." Sanae had to admit she felt better when the wolf tengu moved to join the group. Momiji seemed down to earth. She didn't think anything too weird could happen while the wolf tengu was standing guard.

Aya looked over the group then sighed and shook her head. "No interest. I'm here for the drinking and a story. Those little cups you've got sitting there don't seem like fun. I'll pass." The reporter took off and headed back towards what Sanae guessed was Komachi and Suika's drinking contest.

"Um..." Hatate flipped her cellphone open and closed for a bit, then blushed and turned it off. "I'll play, if you'll let me join."

"That's the spirit," Suwako said. Then she frowned. "Still, we should get a few more people."

"I could get some of the rabbits maybe," Reisen asked nervously.

"They wouldn't be able to keep up with the contest," Eirin replied. "I trust you can as an emissary, and I bet Tewi could if she tried. But the rest of the rabbits would flub the poetry."

Momiji's ears twitched. "Well, three more people are coming back here. Perhaps some of them will work?"

The smiles of Eintei's contingent faded when Keine and Mokou stepped around the temple. Even Youmu's appearance from the other side didn't seem to warm their expressions. However, the newcomers didn't seem to notice it. "Ah, Fujiwara no Mokou, did you spend enough time in the court to learn this fine game?" Futo asked.

"I did," Mokou replied dryly.

Sanae saw something flash in Keine's eyes. Then the schoolteacher gave a dangerous smile. "Ah, I've heard of this! It would be fun to try wouldn't it?"

"Feel free to join us." Kaguya and Mokou both started as Eirin accepted Keine's request. "Though this does make our groups somewhat imbalanced if I guess right."

"Perhaps you would want to join, lady samurai," Tojiko said, turning to Youmu.

The half ghost looked surprised then nodded. "I suppose I could play."

Mokou brow furrowed, then she sighed. "I suppose I should join too then. You need an anchor after all."

"Do you think you're up for that?" Kaguya asked. Her tone lacked her usual sweetness, but there wasn't any bite to the words either.

"My family was obsessed with calligraphy in addition to being the shadow government. I know poetry," Mokou replied.

Kaguya nodded. "Well then, we have a full group. Shall we be seated?"

Sanae looked around for guidance as the older members moved towards the stream. Mokou sat down right in front of the pond, while Kaguya and Suwako sat at the far end, where the stream broke the tree line. Kanako and Miko moved to the middle, sitting right after a point where the waters pooled and slowed. Eirin sat slightly further downstream from Miko, while Tojiko and Futo positioned themselves across from each other slightly downstream of Kaguya.

Sanae stood there in confusion for a bit more before Suwako waved her over. She hesitantly moved over then sat a little further down the stream as the two noblewomen. Apparently she'd gotten that right because no one moved to correct her.

She started to get a feel for the seating order when Keine took her seat a little downstream of her, Reisen sat next to Keine, and Youmu moved to sit downstream of Eirin. This probably was based on some kind of heirarchy. As Hatate and Momiji moved to take seats just upstream of Kanako and Mokou respectively Sanae guessed she'd gotten it right. The only person who might be considered out of place was Mokou, as even a concubine's daughter had to rate higher then a patrol Tengu. But maybe Mokou's position had some significance.

When they were all seated Kaguya waved her hand and a couple of rabbits hopped into the clearing carrying boxes. Starting with Kaguya they quickly distributed little boats, sake cups and six sake bottles to each person going down the line, stopping at Hatate. Eirin gave a light cough and said, "I had the rabbits spike the sake with certain other chemicals, so the tengu, deities and ghosts should be affected equally. After all, it's no fun if only the humans are tipsy."

"Indeed." Kanako nodded. "And I assume we're ignoring the more restrictive rules for the poems?"

"If it pleases you," Futo said. "We are still a little behind the times. It would be foolish if we started getting our epochs more confused then they already are."

"That sounds good," Kaguya agreed. "Then with that, shall we begin?"

Silence fell across the group. Sanae fidgeted nervously as she waited for, well whatever was going to happen. She saw Hatate flexing her hands nervously as well, and the two shared a bit of a smile. Camaraderie in nervousness.

The 'clink' of porcelain drew Sanae's attention up towards where Suwako was sitting. The goddess had filled a cup with wine. She then drank from the cup, and placed it on a boat. "_Wind stirs the branches, the frogs wake from their slumber, a new game begins._" With that haiku, she sent the boat down the stream.

Sanae watched the boat as it gently drifted down. The water was calm and slow, but the boat still moved at a fair pace. As it passed her she saw that the cup was still half full of sake. It passed by Reisen, Keine and Hatate, then hit the widened pool and slowed a bit before gliding in front of Kanako.

The Goddess reached out and grabbed the the boat. "_Frog croaks fill the warm moist air, the snake rises to dance again._" She turned the cup 180 degrees, then drank the rest of the sake, before putting the boat down to her side.

There was a clink from the far end as Kaguya filled her cup, then drank. "_The moon shines alone, through the thicket of bamboo, crickets chirp sadly._" As the princess sent her boat downstream Sanae noticed all the more experienced people turned to look at where Miko and Kanako were sitting. Now that she thought about it, none of the people past Hatate had access to any sake...

Her suspicions were confirmed when Eirin picked up the boat. "_The moon shuns the earth's lush life, so they mourn the moon's lost joy._" The Lunarian twisted the cup, then finished off the contents.

Sanae started to feel more confident as Futo poured and drank. _"The nightingale sings, an auspicious star rises, but the quiet world sleeps."_Miko caught this one, saying "S_unrise the star fades away, but it remembers rising,_**"** before turning the cup and drinking from it.

Tojiko's movements were the quietest of the four, as befitted her ghostly nature. She filled the cup, drank from it and said, "_The mists burn away, to greet the morning sun's light, petals now unfold._" She smiled as she set the cup down on the boat.

It drifted down, past Kanako, then Miko picked it up. "_The hummingbird flies quickly, to kiss them before they fade._" This time Miko carefully picked up the cup and drank from it without turning it, before setting it down. 'Indirect kiss!' squealed the part of Sanae's mind that hadn't quite gotten out of highschool yet. Sanae was about to toss that idea aside when she saw the looks on the faces of the two. It had been an indirect kiss! And an intentional one at that.

Sanae blushed. So that's what they had meant by flirting. And it was her turn too! Did she want to offer one of the women downstream an indirect kiss? How would it feel if they didn't consider her a woman they were interested in? She forced herself to try to focus as she poured the liquid. This was just the first round. She'd play it normally while she tried to figure out what she was doing.

When the cup was full she took a slight sip. The fumes quickly filled her mouth and almost choked her. This was a very strong sake. She quickly swallowed the bitter drink and tried to pull together the haiku she'd been thinking of. "_Maple leaves change shade, falling spinning and dancing, one last flight of life._" She forced her hands to stop shaking, then carefully placed the cup on the boat and sent it down stream.

Her heart seemed to be racing as she watched the little boat's progress. She barely noticed as it passed Kanako, but the little butterfly of fear in her stomach grew as it passed by Miko and Eirin without either moving from their seats. It was stupid, but she didn't want a pity poem for her first try. She forced herself to remain outwardly calm when Youmu hesitantly moved to pick up the boat, but the half ghost remained seated when the crisp rustling of cloth broke the silence.

Momiji gracefully picked up the boat and recited, "_The maple stands in silence, awaiting the new leaves' dance._" Then she turned the cup a quarter turn and drank. Sanae felt heat rising to her cheeks. Did Momiji just sense Sanae's nervousness? Or maybe the wolf tengu didn't know if Sanae was flirting? Did she want to flirt with Momiji? Or rather, how much did she want to flirt with the wolf tengu?

Sanae tried to compose herself by watching Keine's first play. The Hakutaku filled her cup and drank from it. "_The plum blossoms fall, The screen door silently shuts, a homecoming meal._" She then sent the boat downstream with a smile. This time Sanae noticed the small interplays between the people downstream. It was harder to read Eirin, Miko and Kanako, but she did notice Kanako and Miko didn't look around at all, as if they expected other people to handle it. Eirin's eyes flickered backwards, but only for a second. Momiji and Youmu were a little more obvious in their movements, and for some reason Mokou wasn't looking at the boat at all.

The little craft sailed past the first three when Youmu picked it up. "_A final evening chat, the day comes to its ending._" She gave it a full turn, then drank. Keine's smile didn't falter though.

Reisen was next. The moon rabbit's ears twitched as she filled the cup. She closed her eyes for a moment then said, "_Rain hides the sun's gaze. The candles are burning low. A mournful lullaby._"

The boat left her hands and floated down the stream slowly. It passed Kanako and Miko, but Eirin caught it. "_It rains in my dreams as well, two beneath the umbrella." _Reisen's ears twitched again as Eirin twisted it a quarter turn, then drank.

Hatate shuffled nervously as all eyes turned to her. Sanae noticed the crow tengu's wings were showing. Perhaps Hatate's nervousness was throwing her shape-shifting prowess off? The tengu poured, perhaps a bit too quickly, before taking a quick swig of the contents. But her voice was strong as she sent the boat on down the water. "_The wind rushes through, but it speaks to no one , the sky is empty._"

The boat started its journey, lingering a while in the pond before passing Kanako. Then to Sanae's surprise Miko reached out and grabbed it. The prince smiled and said, "_Mountains sit before the wind, guiding before it flies on_." Hatate blushed furiously as Miko twisted the cup only a fraction before drinking. Sanae felt a little jealous. Sure Miko was a little strange, but she had been a 'prince' and a famous one at that. No wonder even a tengu would get a little flustered.

Now that Sanae thought about it, it wouldn't feel good to know only one person was interested in you. Even if you had your eyes set on them. Mokou probably wasn't supposed to get any boats the first round. But there were six bottles of sake for each presenter. The game was obviously going to last a long while.

This round Suwako's cup was caught by Eirin, and Miko picked up Kaguya's. Both turned the cups, though Miko only turned her's a quarter turn. When Kanako caught Futo's boat Sanae realized none of the people had picked up the same persons boat. This too must be part of the rules. Sanae felt that there was even more beneath the surface that she didn't get, but that was becoming part of the appeal.

Mokou got her first cup from a boat by Tojiko. It was Sanae's turn again. And she hadn't thought up a haiku yet! She blinked, then did her best to patch together a poem using verses from her school days while she poured the sake. "_Butterflies break free, dancing about the flowers, no thought of the past._" She set the boat downstream, hoping no one caught how hastily she'd constructed the verse.

Strangely enough only Suwako seemed to notice, and she just smiled a little wider. Everyone except Hatate seemed to looking at Youmu, with varying degrees of subtlety. Hatate was just as confused as Sanae was.

Sure enough Youmu caught the boat. "_Butterflies fall one by one, wings float to the netherworld_." Youmu looked up at Sanae sizing her up for a few moments, then turned the boat just a little over a quarter turn, and drank.

Keine's boat was picked up by Mokou, the immortal hesitating a moment before drinking without turning the cup. When everyone turned to Youmu again after Reisen referenced swords, Sanae figured the other part of it out. The poems themselves were code as well. Hatate glanced her way and the two shared a tiny nod. The tengu girl put their guess into practice by incorporating tengu into her poem. Sure enough Momiji picked up the boat, and after a few lines about perception, did a quarter turn and a drink. Sanae frowned a little at that. Still Hatate had confirmed their suspicions. She should find a good word for her next haiku. Maybe 'shield'...

As the rounds began to pass Sanae found herself enjoying the challenge. Playing these subtle games on a regular basis seemed like it would be maddening, but right now untangling the web of actual flirting from jokes and politeness was fun. Momiji had started drinking her cups without the turn, which was both embarrassing and cute. Kanako had shared an indirect kiss with Suwako, much to Sanae's shock. And Mokou had gotten Kaguya to sputter briefly by pretending to take one of the princesses' poems as a proposition, to the amusement of both Eirin and Keine. The game was so engrossing that Sanae's was surprised when her first bottle ran empty. Apparently the rounds moved quicker then they seemed. It was a good thing they were using such small containers Sanae thought as she picked up the second bottle to finish filling the cup.

When the second bottle started getting empty Sanae was feeling a little light headed. It wasn't the sickening dizziness she'd suffered through while drinking before, which was nice, but she made a mental note to moderate how much she was drinking out of the cup before sending it downstream.

"A hint," Sanae started at the soft voice beside her. She turned to see Tojiko giving her a wink. "If someone catches half of your boats, that means they want to meet you afterwards."

Sanae felt heat blaze across her cheeks when she realized she'd sent exactly half of her cups so far to Momiji. Did the wolf tengu know? No, there was no way. Sanae shook her head. But Kanako and Suwako had to know. Sanae looked over at the two Godesses while Tojiko giggled quietly. Kanako just nodded, as if the older goddess hadn't noticed anything. Suwako on the other hand gave her a wink and a smile. Sanae quickly turned to look at the ground. At least nothing there would embarrass her.

When she'd recovered a bit of her composure, Sanae started considering what the other people had been doing. Hatate had sent about half of her cups towards Miko, but the lady prince had let some of them slip past. The tengu girl had split the rest between Momiji and Youmu with a few exceptions. Reisen was more varied, with about a third to Eirin, a third to Youmu and a third to everyone else. Keine had sent almost half of hers to Mokou, and Sanae made a note to see how the immortal would handle it if that number went up. Tojiko... Sanae blinked and counted it out again before turning to the ghost and whispering, "You've sent half of yours to Miko!"

Tojiko smirked at her. "I didn't become her concubine just for show," the ghost whispered.

Sanae turned her attention back towards the boats to keep from burning up with embarrassment. Thinking on it further Futo had almost sent half of her boats to Miko as well. Suwako and Kaguya had both spread their poems out more, though Kaguya was favoring Eirin.

Once again Sanae wished she was sitting next to Hatate. While the tengu would never admit it they were the closest in age. Well, relative age. She looked over at the tengu and saw Hatate glancing back. They shared a shrug. She'd have to speak to the other tengu after the game. Sanae looked down and saw Momiji looking back towards her. Both of the other tengu, Sanae amended.

Around the fourth bottle Sanae was floating happily in her brain, and giggling at the stupidest things. But it didn't matter because it was fun right? Everyone was just having fun, laughing at their mistakes and showing off when they could. Futo and Tojiko had sent boats down at the same time, with Miko using her powers to answer both poems at once. Kaguya and Eirin had spoken with words that had seemed to pierce the soul and brought tears to everyone's eyes. And then Suwako and Kanako had shown them all up by speaking with the earth and wind for their poem.

The younger members had been forced to turn to more down to earth fun. Sanae's had broken out her lipstick and managed to transfer a fair amount over to Momiji via sake cup, then she'd handed over the lipstick to Keine so the Hakutaku could teach Mokou about makeup via correspondence course. Reisen had used her eyes to cause Eirin to completely miss a grab at a boat, and Hatate had summoned up a wind to leave a boat sitting in front of Miko until the prince claimed it.

Sanae was starting to get sleepy when the fifth bottle emptied, and for once everyone else at the party was drooping as well. Miko and Momiji both looked like they were about to collapse, which kind of made sense, given how much sake had been thrown at them.

There was a sharp clink and Sanae looked to the front of the group as Suwako poured a cup. The frog goddess held it up, and after Kaguya gave a tiny nod, she placed it on a boat without drinking from it. "_Ice covers the lake, a warm room beckons us, a game is ending."_ She set the boat on the river, and everyone watched as it slowly floated downstream, past each one in turn. And for the first time this evening Mokou stayed silent, allowing the boat to sail on into the Hakurei Shrine's pond.

The group sat in silence for a little longer, reveling in the silence. Then they each began to stand. Keine bowed to the group then collected Mokou and headed for the front of the shrine, while Youmu took some time to find her balance before saying "I should find Lady Yuyuko" and heading off. The Eintei people all gathered for a moment, before Eirin and Kaguya shooed Reisen off to the party. Kanako and Suwako waved to Sanae before heading to the main party as well, while Miko, Futo, and Tojiko all met up and began chatting amongst themselves.

So Sanae found herself slowly moving over to where Hatate was fidgeting. She was pleasantly surprised when Momiji joined the two. "That was fun but kinda confusing," she said, realizing just a second later just how dumb she sounded.

Hatate just chuckled. "Yeah, I thought about texting you so we could chat, but it seemed kinda rude." She looked between her and Momiji. "So I have you two at fifty one percent. Should I go?" Sanae's head started spinning even more then it did before. And Momiji flushed. The tengu did know!

Momiji however dodged the question. "So Hatate, why did you stick around? There's no story here."

"What and miss this?" Hatate gestured wildly and stumbled a bit before continuing. "This is a once in a lifetime chance! You don't give those up just because you can't make a story out of it! Aya was a fool. She taught me you can't be a well rounded reporter just sitting around." Hatate shook her head. "Anyway I've got another once in a lifetime chance I gotta try for." The tengu girl pointed to where the Taoists were wandering off. "I'm going to get shot down, so I'll leave you two to your private meeting." Hatate took to the air and began a wobbly flight after the three other women. Sanae watched the crow tengu leave, then realized Kanako and Suwako had wandered off as well. She was alone with Momiji.

The wind priestess hesitantly moved over to lean on Momiji's shoulder. "Sorry," she said, "I'm still tipsy."

Momiji swayed a bit, then put her arm around Sanae. She slowly turned and led the wind priestess to the back of the shrine. "I'm a little dizzy too. I don't think the crowds would be good. Do you mind if we sit back here and talk?"

Sanae's heart was racing. "Not at all!" She coughed then lowered her voice. "I'd be happy to stay with you."

The two sat on the back porch and leaned against each other. Momiji's warmth was pleasantly different from the chill night air and the heat of the sake. As they pretended to look at the stars Sanae wondered if Momiji was trying to feel Sanae's breathing, like Sanae was trying to feel hers.

The moment was shattered by a beeping. Sanae's eyes widened as she realized she'd just gotten a text. How was that... She gave Momiji a sheepish grin as she flipped open her phone.

*Protip: Tengu are monogamous but they expect people to have a little fun before getting hitched. Go for it! XD.* - Hata-tan

Sanae blushed as she snapped the phone shut. "The nerve-!" Just because some part of her brain had been considering...

She froze as a warm voice whispered into her ear. "I'd never propose such a thing on the first date."

Sanae's brain swirled for a little longer, then she slowly moved to sit on Momiji's lap. She sighed as the wolf tengu hesitantly embraced her. "So then, we should make this date count." She nuzzled up against Momiji, reaching up to lightly touch the tengu's fuzzy ears. "So tell me about yourself..."

_Author's Notes:  
I've wanted to do something with this court drinking game for a long time. I heard about it during the tour of the imperial palace, and I thought it was an interesting ritual. So I finally pulled myself together and used it to ship Sanae and Momiji. I'm sure Murasa will be by with a ladle soon enough._

If you read through it again you might catch a few more references in the poems. Most of them don't require knowledge of Japanese, though there are a couple of cultural / language references in there.

Anyway, I figure this is a good thing to put out before as the new book comes out and invalidates half of it, and convinces people who skim instead of read that the other half is invalid too.


	16. A Thousand Youkai

The sword maker carefully examined the blade under the light of the candle. While the human eye could not see the level of detail he was interested in, the glow from the blade told him what he needed to know. The layered soft and hard steel had worn away perfectly, creating a serrated cutting surface. Of course that meant the sword wasn't as strong physically, but that didn't matter. The will forged into the blade would would give it a strength that steel could not.

He set it down on the sword rest then picked up the larger blade, the sister sword to the one he had created. It was long, too long for a hand and a half blade in his mind, but the buyer had demanded this length. The shine of this blade was different, brighter. There was far more strong steel at the edge. It was duller but heavier. The sword-master shook his head as he maneuvered the blade. Had he tried to forge this weapon it would have been brittle, but somehow the master had forged it to be just as flexible as the katana he'd made despite using stronger steel.

His inspection complete he placed the two swords on a display rack. The sword maker rose and opened the door to where his guest was waiting. "They are finished. Come in."

The ronin entered with a bow, carefully moving to the sword stand before looking over the blades. "What are their names?"

"The longer blade is Roukanken, the smaller Hakurouken. They have been made to your specifications." The sword maker hesitated for a moment before continuing. "My master said you should be informed as to how the blades here are truly made."

"Your master?" The ronin's eyes narrowed in confusion. That was to be expected of course. The sword-maker knew he was showing the eighty seven years of life in his withered frame.

"Yes. My master. The youkai that taught me sword crafting. The Ippon-Datura." He pointed at Roukanken. "That blade is his work. It is youkai forged. With a strong heart behind it, there is nothing it cannot cut."

"I see..." The ronin lifted the blade and turned it in his hands, feeling the balance of the weapon. "I will have to use the other blade for the final duel, but that was my plan anyway." He sheathed Roukanken and picked up Hakurouken, once again feeling the blade's weight with his hands. "They are both excellent. I trust this blade contains the spells I asked for."

"It has the effects you asked for," the sword master said proudly. "There are no spells there, simply an awakened sword with the will to cut hesitation from the minds of it's victims. A living being struck will find their resistance to death slip away. A ghost struck will abandon it's life to the path of 'Mu.' So long as your will does not falter it will perform its duties. No magic spell or koan will stop it."

A grim smile slowly crossed the ronin's face. "Your skill has exceeded the rumors, Master Takane. With this weapon I can complete my quest. I thank you."

"There is one more matter before you leave," Takane Yamada said. "You must prove yourself worthy of wielding these blades."

The ronin stiffened, then nodded. "I understand. What must I do?"

Takane pointed towards a rock pillar. "Cut the pillar."

Without a seconds hesitation the ronin dashed forward. In a flash he drew both swords then swung them in a mighty arc. Takane swore that he could see the trails left by the blades in the dim light. The pillar fell, cut into fourths.

The ronin sheathed the blades. "I trust all is in order."

"Yes... yes indeed." Takane hesitated for a moment, then bowed to the ronin. "However, I would request a favor. What is your name honorable samurai?"

"Youki. Furuhashi Youki." 

* * *

Youki double checked the straps on his bags. His heart burned with the need to finish his quest. It had been burning ever since Sword Master Takane had given him his swords. But there were other matters that needed to be taken care of first.

"Are you leaving today honorable samurai?"

"Not today. Tomorrow. Today I have business I must attend to." Youki replied. He stood and bowed to the village elder. "I will likely be late returning, so do not feel a need to wait for me. I will sleep in the warehouse if need be."

"I see..." The village elder stroked his beard. Youki could tell the man was trying to press him for information. It was a reasonable thing to do after all. Most lone ronin in this area were bandits.

Youki answered the man's unspoken question. "I'm going to Shorumura."

The elder's eyes opened wide at that. "Honorable samurai, that village is gone. It was destroyed by youkai ten years ago. Now all that lies there are angry spirits. Forgive me but I humbly urge you to reconsider."

Youki turned and began walking. "And vengeful spirits are the spirits that need offerings the most, right?"

Youki heard the elders clothes rustle as the man bowed behind him. "That is so, lord samurai. May the kami and Jizo watch over your journey."

"Thank you."

Youki walked away, along the narrow road.

As the day slipped away he tried to recall familiar features, pick out the landmarks from ten years ago, but time had erased his memories, both within and without. The mountains stood as they always did, but the land around him had changed. The path which he remembered as a well traveled road was now just a small trail with crumbling rock steps along the way.

His arrival at Shorumura was sudden. The forest just stopped, being replaced by brush and smaller trees. Outlines of walls and irrigation fields still showed under the plants that had reclaimed it. The grass was shortest near the center of the village. Where the fires had burned brightest.

That was where Youki headed. When he reached the gravestone he stopped. He carefully pulled away the grass that had grown around the stone, then poured water over the stone to clean it. It was a futile effort, given how unimpressive the makeshift gravestone was, but he had to try. When he was done he pulled out the mochi and the incense. He set the rice cakes down in front of the grave, then placed the incense beside it and lit it.

He sat there for some time in silence, watching the incense slowly burn. Finally he clapped his hands together three times. "I don't know if any of you are still here. If so I'm sorry I haven't been able to tend to you. I wanted to bring sake as well, but I couldn't afford it. I'm sorry."

He fell silent again. It was probably pointless, but he felt as if he should linger here. Perhaps his presence might calm the last remnants of hatred and loneliness that infused the poor lost souls here.

Finally the growing shadows warned him that he could stay no longer. He clapped his hands again, then bowed. "I do not know if this gives your spirits some comfort, but I finally have the tools I need to seek vengeance in your name. I swear I will slay the monsters who did this." He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. "And mother, I promise I'll do my best to survive our revenge."

He stood and after a moments hesitation walked away.

The shadows continued to deepen as he walked back down the long road to the village, but time seemed to stop for him. It was if the twilight of that night long ago had returned to cast a shadow over him.

He knew that he'd arrive back after dusk. Perhaps that was for the best. He wasn't going to be good company. If he was lucky he could sneak into the warehouse under cover of night before anyone saw him and was forced to offer him a place to sleep.

Youki sighed as the sun finally set. He could tell he was going to have nightmares again. He could almost almost smell the smoke from that night...

The clang of a fire bell snapped him out of his reverie. He really had smelled smoke, and it was coming from the same direction as that small mountain village.

He began to run.

As he reached the top of a small rise he saw the village again. The houses below were in flames, but Youki's trained eyes could still spot the arrows that had started the conflagration. The fire tower was ablaze as well, the corpse of a man showing what had happened to the man who had tried to warn his fellows. He could hear the screams of the panicked villagers, and all around the village he could hear the guttural laughter of their attackers. He had to act quickly.

Youki rushed down the path. The trees flew past as he used his true speed, honed by years of swordsmanship. He reached the edge of the village within seconds. The twisted shapes of bakemono and other lesser youkai appeared before him. He drew his sword without thought and swung. He heard the tearing of flesh and the screams of his victims, but the cut felt like he was swinging through air. He swept the sword back again, and the rest of the youkai fell.

His enemies defeated, he looked around. None of the youkai seemed to be anything of note. Still his Roukanken had served wonderfully. He flicked the blood off the blade and took a deep breath. He'd have to pay more attention to his swordsmanship if he wanted to survive the night.

"You bastard!" Youki turned to see another group of youkai burst out the the trees. Four in all. They must have heard their allies death screams. They lowered their weapons at him and charged. Youki stepped to meet them. This time he angled his strike properly, making sure to cut the spears of his foes while avoiding the blades. There was another shower of blood as his long blade cleaved through the attackers. They screamed, then died.

Youki looked around. The youkai marauders attacking the village would have surrounded it. He could kill them off group by group, but it would take too long. They would be sure to reach the humans hiding in the village center and begin the slaughter first. He had to act boldly.

Youki dashed into the rice fields. Taking a deep breath he called out, "Foul spawn of darkness! I, Furuhashi Youki, challenge you all! Come and fight me!" A shower of arrows flew at him in reply. In return he gripped his sword with both hands and swung upward. The muddy earth of the rice paddy splashed into the air, taking the arrows out of the sky. "Pathetic!"

The monsters in the trees could no more ignore that taunt then a human bandit could. They rushed out to kill him for his insolence. Youki guessed they numbered forty or so. He also guessed they expected their superior numbers to win out.

They would soon learn differently.

Youki retreated slightly, moving slowly to the right as some of the youkai pulled ahead of their comrades. The muddy ground here quickly separated out the skilled from the ranks. Those who weren't trained at keeping their footing fell behind their comrades. Humans might slow and try to reestablish their organization, but youkai were too proud to do such a thing. As Youki slowly pulled away the youkai attack changed from a wave into a line. When his enemies were in the proper positioning he stopped his retreat. He flipped his sword behind him and began moving forward.

The first youkai single huge eye bulged as it realized it's mistake. Youki was back-lit by the flames, so pinpointing his movement was impossible. Youki felt its bloodlust revert to fear and struck, cutting the monster down and cleaving into the beast behind it. Youki fell upon the group like a farmer harvesting the rice. Each sweep of his blade, each death, sent the survivors into more confusion. When he'd hacked through half of the monsters the rest broke and tried to run, but the rice fields slowed them. He continued on, running the monsters down. None would be spared.

When the last one fell, it's four arms spasming as it died, he turned back and ran towards the village. He hoped he still had time.

His heart rose when he saw humans running towards him. "This way is clear!" he yelled. The fleeing men and women redoubled their efforts. Behind them he could see a few villagers armed with makeshift spears trying to hold back the approaching bandits so their families could flee. He pressed himself to move faster, hopping onto the road so the muddy field wouldn't slow his stride.

Youki reached the village proper just in time to see the last of the young men who had been defending the village cut down by a twisted dwarf kappa. He rewarded the monster by dashing forward and unleashing a powerful twirling cut that removed both it's legs. He set himself in a wide stance as the youkai moved to encircle him. "Come then beasts! Let's see how you do against a real warrior instead of farmers!"

"Don't act so full of yourself human!" roared a voice. Youki's eyes widened as a giant red oni stomped into the light of the flames. The oni swung around a iron club the size of a tree trunk, and the rest of the youkai laughed as they formed a makeshift circle around him. "Now be crushed by my might!

He shivered, then gripped Roukanken tighter. He wasn't a boy anymore. He wasn't the same frightened child that could do nothing as the youkai ravaged his home. His eyes narrowed as the red giant moved forward. "And you aren't really an oni, are you?"

The creature blinked in surprise before raising it's club high in the air and bringing it smashing down straight at Youki's head. He casually hopped aside then jumped over the beasts follow up swing and dashed forward. He cut low, where the creatures true body would be. Sure enough there was a scream, a meaty tearing noise, and the tanuki trickster fell to the ground in a spray of blood.

The youkai surrounding Youki fell silent in shock. He took a few seconds to wipe the blood from his face before dropping into a low stance again and charging the nearest group. He killed three before the rest broke and ran.

Youki gave chase into the night. He wasn't going to be satisfied until all of them were dead. 

* * *

The fires were dying when Youki returned to the mountain village. The familiarity of the scene struck him yet again. This time however the village was filled with humans searching for their loved ones, and his arms were covered with blood instead of ash. He didn't feel any better about it though.

A matronly woman approached him as he reached the main square. Her face was an impassive mask, but Youki could see tear lines on her face. She bowed deeply. "We thank you lord samurai. Without your aid..."

"I only wish I could have done more," he replied. "Are there any trapped in the rubble? People I can search for?"

"Thank you lord samurai, but everyone is accounted for. One way or another." The woman was silent for a few moments. "The elder is dead. As are most of the men. There is no way we can rebuild here by ourselves. We will be leaving here to petition our lord for aid."

"Then before you go, allow me to make a request." Youki pulled out his money pouch and handed it to the startled woman. "I wish for two days supplies. I understand barter at this time is unreasonable so please just take what is needed. I will return for the remainder when my quest is over."

The woman's mouth dropped open and she trembled as she clutched the pouch. "Thank you. Thank you lord. We... I..."

Youki shook his head. "My father may have been a samurai, but my mother was a tavern worker. You have no need to call me lord." Youki turned away so as not to shame the woman by viewing her tears. "I need to rest. If you have the supplies ready for me by morning that will be fine."

"Lord..." The woman called out from behind him. "Your quest. Do you mean to...?"

Youki's fists clenched. "I mean to kill the oni Nanbanji. The leader of these brutes. The beast that murdered my family."

"... May Bishamon-ten and Hachiman-ten watch over you then, lord."

"Thank you." Youki walked away looking for a patch of ground that was smooth and clean to rest in. He needed as much sleep as he could get. Especially since the nightmares were sure to plague him again. 

* * *

"What?" the oni roared rising to his full height. "What did you say?"

The tengu standing before him managed to keep his expression neutral. "I stated that Jinryu has been killed. He led his band on a quick raid to get more human prisoners for the larder, but a samurai killed him. My apologies for the bad news Boss Nanbanji."

Nanbanji slammed his iron club into the earth in frustration. "What of his men then? He had ninety nine youkai under his command! Even if they are little bugs a human shouldn't have defeated all of them."

"Apparently this human can. If he is a human. The man wields a nodachi one handed." The tengu replied. "There was only one survivor, and he apparently only lived because he played dead. The fool was limping towards our camp, so I questioned then killed him for incompetence."

"I see." Nanbanji grumbled. The large oni thought for a moment. "I think it best to make an example of this samurai. Have the stronger youkai go out and hunt him down. Make it gruesome."

"Yes boss." The tengu bowed and left.

Nanbanji grumbled again and sat back down. Annoyances like this always seemed to pop up at the worst possible time.

"Sending out your thugs? Have you slipped so far you're afraid of a fight?"

He froze at the voice, then whirled around towards the source. Sure enough a small oni in hybrid form was looking smugly up at him. Her unique chains and purple gourd made it obvious who she was to any true oni. "Suika! I don't care if you are a deva, if you accuse me of cowardice I'll fight you! I just don't want to waste my time fighting a human."

"You insult humans a lot for someone who acts like them so often," Suika replied. The little oni shrugged. "Well that's not my problem. I figure he can kill you even after he cuts through your group of thugs. Bet a whole warehouse full of the good stuff against Yuugi too." Suika smiled happily. "Which means if he does make it to you, you better fight fair and not back down, or Yuugi's gonna break you good!"

Nanbanji growled and ground his teeth as the small oni faded away into mist. "A human who can beat an oni? Ha! He'll never even get to me."

He gabbed his iron club and strode out into his camp. Dealing with Suika had made him angry. Perhaps a little training would make him feel better. 

* * *

Youki kept his steps even and his eyes searching the path ahead. The mountain trail looked like any other, but he was certain youkai lurked throughout the area. He'd followed a blood trail from one of the bandits that attacked the village until he found the place where the creature had apparently stumbled off a cliff. From there he'd backtracked the raiding party itself. Most youkai could pass without damaging their home environments, but some of the more wicked and twisted ones damaged everything they passed. From that damage Youki had managed to find the game trail he'd been following for the past hour. It had led him further into the mountains, and Youki imagined that if he had a proper map it would show him getting further into uncharted territory, but closer to more human villages. The perfect spot for a group of youkai raiders.

The trail itself was also a boon for bandits. It had several stretches where no more then ten men abreast could walk, and some that shrank even further. However it also had open forested areas where spies and saboteurs could easily hide. A army group could be easily stalled by only a hundred men. Probably even less if the defenders were youkai.

As Youki moved through another choke point he felt something in the atmosphere change. He paused, drawing his canteen and drinking slowly. The pressure increased. Someone was planning on ambushing him. He carefully put his canteen away and continued on, doing his best to act as if he couldn't sense the killing intent being focused at him. The enemy waited for him in the trees right up ahead. Either they would be coming from above, or from the bushes.

The killing aura increased as he walked into the forest. There were two... no three of them. All strong but inexperienced, as he was when he first started out. He'd have to hit them hard and fast to shatter their confidence. Now was the time to use Hakurouken. He slowed his pace as he entered the forest. Forcing his foes to wait would make them irritable. If they were irritable they would make a mistake.

Youki felt the killing aura change a second before the bush rustled. A kama-itachi sprang from the bushes and charged him, the weasel youkai moving faster then his eyes could follow. Hakurouken arced through the air with his iai cut. This time Youki felt the blade strike. He tightened his grip on the blade as it sliced across the foe's chest in order to avoid getting caught in bone. The strike had been intended as an air pressure strike at range, but the youkai rushing him had been so fast it had reached arm's length. Blood splattered across him, but he ignored it. He'd been covered in blood before.

Two more of the creatures sprang out of other bushes. "Brother!" they wailed in anguish and rage. They dashed to flank Youki, drawing their kama as they did. If they had been humans Youki would have feinted at one, then attacked the other, but kama-itachi knew from birth how to fight as a group. He would have to counter their assault when it came.

Once again he read their moments by mere seconds. The two creatures screamed and charged as one, both blindingly fast. Angered by the loss of their third they didn't even seem to care that one of them was certain to strike his blade.

Youki dropped into a low stance and met their charge. He thrust Hakurouken out with his right hand, while using his left hand to strike with Roukanken's pommel. His hilt slammed into the breastbone of his first assailant while the second ran himself through. The weasel youkai who Hakurouken struck seemed to shudder as the balde struck it, then it dropped it's weapons and slumped into death. Youki twisted the weapon to pull it free then struck the stunned kama-itachi a second time in the throat with Roukanken before swinging Hakurouken into the youkai's head.

Silence fell over the clearing. He couldn't sense any more danger, but he looked around anyway. When he was certain all his foes had been felled he flicked the blood off of his sword and resheathed it. Sadly there was no way the blood was coming off of his clothes, but the kama-itachi had carried medicine and water. He cleaned his skin as best he could.

He was pleased at how well Hakurouken had performed. Unless you struck the heart, a youkai of that caliber wouldn't die from a simple stab wound. Even a human could sometimes fight on with injuries like that. Hakurouken however had cut through the beast's fury and will to live. He'd need that ability, in the future.

But first he needed to catch his true quarry. He continued up the trail, eyes open for more trickery. 

* * *

"Help! Someone help!"

Youki's eyes narrowed at the scream from up around the bend. He dashed forward, then rolled as he reached the turn. The sword strike aimed at him smashed into the ground and he rewarded the ambusher with Roukanken.

To his surprise there actually was a woman surrounded by youkai ahead. Well she had been surrounded by youkai. Now the five beasts were charging him. He sighed and stepped forward. Roukanken struck once, then twice, and the inept thugs were dead. He flicked the sword off his blade and walked up to the woman. "Are you alright?"

"I am, thanks to you good sir samurai." The woman adjusted her disheveled kimono then gasped as it fell open. Youki politely stepped back and pretended to be looking for more attackers while the woman blushed and got her wardrobe back in order.

"Can you walk?" Youki asked when she was finished retying her obi.

The woman blushed furiously. "Yes sir samurai. I'm uninjured. Um... My name is Kitsu. May I know who saved my unworthy life?"

"Furuhashi Youki," he replied simply.

"Furuhashi," the woman's eyes widened. "Was your father Furuhashi Souzaemon?"

Youki nodded. "I am his son."

"I see..." Kitsu smiled and wrapped herself around his arm. "No wonder you're so strong. I see you carry two long swords. You know the school of Miyamoto Musashi?"

Youki carefully pulled himself free and started walking again, keeping himself alert for danger. "No. My father is unaware of my birth. I only inherited his strength. My school is my own."

"I see." Kitsu followed along.

"Does your family know you are out here?" Youki asked as they walked.

Kitsu hesitated then looked down at the ground. "My family is no longer with me. I am alone these days."

"You have my condolences," Youki replied quietly. "It is difficult to lose family."

They walked in silence for some time after that. Kitsu approached Youki occasionally but she always collapsed back in on herself before speaking again. Youki did his best to simply keep an eye out for danger.

Finally they reached a point where the trail branched. Youki nodded, then turned to Kitsu. "And now we should part ways, boy."

"Boy?" Kitsu stumbled back. "Why I nev-"

Youki simply gave a stern look. "You shouldn't bother trying to keep the facade. Your 'name' gave your race away immediately kitsune. We both know the chances of a lone woman with your figure wandering though these mountain passes is zero." Youki folded his arms. "You might have been able to claim you were a kidnapped peasant or noble, but the only bandits around here are Nanbanji's thugs, and they eat humans they capture. In addition your honorifics are straight out of a play. A woman would already know the proper honorifics. So you must be male, and fairly young to botch your deception so poorly. I imagine you only have one tail, right?"

Kitsu's mouth opened in shock, then the fair features twisted and bent into the kitsune's true form. As youki suspected the boy was young. Given the difference in aging he probably wasn't much older then Youki himself. The stunned kitsune stumbled back, then reached into his sleeve. Youki's eyes narrowed and he drew Roukanken in a flash. "I would not suggest drawing that knife. I spared you because you didn't have the smell of blood on you, and because you hesitated to attack me when I gave you openings. I don't know why you joined this band of thugs, but it would be best if you left now, before your soul is muddied like theirs."

'Kitsu' was trembling now, and his eyes were tearing up, but he put his hand on the hilt of his knife anyway. "You humans and your exorcists killed my parents! They skinned them and left the bodies to rot! Nanbanji will give me the power to-"

Youki laid his blade to rest on the boy's throat. The kitsune froze. "It was youkai who killed my mother. Should I take my vengeance now? Would that be fair and just?"

The boy stood there tears slowly falling. Finally after a long pause he let go of the knife and let his arms fall. Youki put his sword away. "Vengeance is like a sword. It must be tightly controlled or it will destroy you. Go train more. The city should teach you how to master your powers. Then find those who are truly responsible for your sorrow. Don't let the honeyed words of those who would use you stray you from that path."

The kitsune boy wiped his eyes, then turned and ran down the mountain. Youki waited until he was out of sight, before turning and walking up the other path. 

* * *

Youki's nerves were on edge as he approached the turn before a final canyon choke point. There had to be more bandits. If they were going to make an attack, it would be there.

He froze as he rounded the corner. His foes had prepared for him, and there were far more then he had ever suspected. Ranks on ranks of monsters filled the pass. Spears and swords formed a thicket of blades that stretched as far as Youki could see. This wasn't just a bandit group. It was an army.

"Welcome, welcome," a haughty voice came from above him. "I see you have some skill after all."

Youki looked up to see a crow tengu sitting in the air without a care in the world. The tengu smiled down at him. "You've annoyed the boss a bit, so he's put a big bounty on your head. Sadly I can't claim it, but the other nine hundred youkai in the band are all interested." The tengu snapped his fingers dismissively. "Kill him. And remember no arrows. We can't tell those apart so you won't get the extra human meat."

The horde poured down the canyon with a terrifying roar. Youki hesitated. He wanted to run, flee from the certain death bearing down on him. But his training, the history of deadly duels he'd fought, kept him steady. To flee was death as well. He could no more escape the force rushing him then a wader could escape a wave. He drew Roukanken and charged. He would have to break the wave!

The distance between himself and the front ranks closed quickly. He was lucky, they would meet just past one of the closest points of the pass. Youki took two steps beyond the choke point, then swung his blade in an arc along the ground with both hands. The youkai forged blade broke the earth sending dirt and rocks flying forward in a wave of his own. The youkai at the front flinched back causing their comrades further back to bump into them.

Youki took advantage of the pileup to strike. He cut low again, beneath the weapons of his foes slicing their legs and thighs. As the first rank fell he attacked again, cutting down a mountain kappa by slicing through it's spear, before twisting the strike into the head of a three eyed creature he couldn't identify. He hopped back away from the strikes of the youkai who still lived, then used his swords reach to cut down three youkai who leaped over their fallen brethren.

With that strike he felt the flow of the battle shift. He was now in control of the tides of war. When he moved forward the enemy grew cautious. When he stepped back the enemy grew overconfident. With each cycle more fell to his sword. It was a dangerous game. If he pushed too far in either direction he would be crushed by the mob. If he stayed still or repeated himself he would lose control of the battle. It was a dizzying battle. Two steps forward, three back, then another step back followed by a lunge.

Youki was lost in a swirling mass of yells and screams, swords and spears. His kimono grew heavier with the blood of those he killed. The ground became thicker and thicker with bodies. At some points he was forced to retreat just because the ground was so littered with corpses fighting was impossible. He was fortunate the youkai he fought were similarly limited.

"What the hell is this?"

The roar from the far end of the pass caused all the combatants to freeze. Youki looked up to see a red oni standing there, iron tetsubo in its hand. Power and rage radiated from it, enough that even a peasant could feel it. This was no illusion. This was the monster he'd seen ten years ago.

"You fucking pipsqueaks can't kill one human? Why the hell am I bothering with you?" thundered the oni. Youki blinked and survived the battlefield. To his surprise most of the youkai army had fallen. Less then a hundred still stood upon the field.

The joy he felt on realizing he was winning was sapped by the sudden fatigue rushing through his body. Now that the flow of battle had been broken all the aches and pains from the long journey and the battle started to plague him. He'd picked up a light slash on his left arm and a cut across the ribs somewhere along the way as well.

He took a deep breath and tried to force the pains away. "Nanbanji! Murderer of my family and village! I, Furuhashi Youki challenge you!"

"You? Challenge me?" The oni snarled. "You've wasted enough of my time!" The oni slammed his club into the ground then pointed at his minions. "Any youkai who can't kill a human is of no worth to me! Kill that samurai or I'll crush you myself!"

The remaining marauders hesitated for a moment, before turning towards Youki and rushing him. There was no way to break their advance now. He drew in another deep breath then charged, yelling his own war cry.

The next few moments were a flickering chaos of screams, lights and sword clashes. He felt a spear cut his leg, and pain from someone biting his shoulder, but he moved on, dealing death as best he could.

Finally there was a cut, a scream, and he found himself standing alone, covered in blood. He took a few deep breaths before flicking the blood from Roukanken and sheathing it. He looked up at the oni and sneered. "It seems none of them were of worth to you."

"Getting ahead of ourselves are we?"

Youki ducked just in time to avoid a swooping cut by the tengu who had greeted him. He quickly drew Hakurouken and tried to position himself to counter the crow tengu's next attack. "You wish to challenge me in a pass? Your arrogance will be the end of you."

The tengu sneered. "Don't insult me human. It doesn't matter if my lines of attack are limited. You won't even live to feel my sword." The tengu pulled out a leaf fan and twirled it before using it to send a blast of air at Youki.

Youki narrowed his eyes and focused his power. When the air blast was close enough he twirled his sword in a circle in front of him, the blade forming a mirror in front of him. "Ha!"

The air blast struck the twirling sword and rebounded back towards the tengu. It dashed aside to avoid it's own projectile then looked back down at Youki with more appraising eyes. "Not bad. I guess you will get to feel my sword!"

Youki held his sword in a high guard. The tengu hovered in place for a moment, then slowly began it's dive. Youki waited, trying to anticipate the moment the tengu would get within range.

With a flicker the tengu suddenly changed it's dive. Youki felt the blade strike his own, but he wasn't ready for the counter. As he stumbled forward, he felt pain lance through his back. A clean cut from his foe. He hoped it was shallow, but he didn't have time to check.

He turned to face the tengu again, raising his sword back into a high guard. He focused on his breathing, then closed his eyes. His eyes couldn't capture the speed of a tengu. He'd have to counter based purely based on his other senses. He allowed his consciousness to seep into the sword, until he could feel the wind playing around it.

The winds ebbed and flowed around the sword, and then, like the prick of a pin, he felt the tap of a sword. He pushed forward, then called upon his own speed to circle around the tengu. He couldn't match the tengu for speed, but by altering his pace, he could confuse the youkai's sight. The beast would see five Youkis circling it. "After images?" the tengu cried. "Those won't save you!" Youki replied by snapping his blade into a low stance. His eyes snapped open as he brought his blade forward, then leaped.

In the tengu's mind the images of Youki kept going. After all, this was the perfect time to attack. Its mind filled in the details that it expected, even though it was falsehood. So as Youki flew into the sky the tengu retaliated against the warriors only it could see, sending its blade in a beautiful arc. Youki wondered briefly if the tengu saw through the illusion then, or if the creature imagined it had cut down the images.

In the end it didn't matter. Youki dropped down like a meteor slicing straight through the tengu's chest. The tengu's eyes grew wide as Hakurouken cut through it's confusion at the deception. Then the creature fell in one last shower of blood.

Youki cleaned his blade and returned his gaze to Nanbanji. "You are all that is left."

The oni seemed to consider the matter. "So I see. Very well little samurai. I will take you seriously. You wish for my death? Then come into my camp. The center is open and clean. There will be no tricks or illusions. No stones or logs to trip us up. Come and learn what it means to fight an oni." The giant turned and trotted away.

Youki wanted to rush after the oni, but that was foolish. If he arrived out of breath and bleeding he'd lose for sure. Instead he sank to one knee and cleaned off his hands. He didn't want to lose his grip because of all the blood on them. Then he pulled out the medicine he'd gotten of the kama-itachi. The strange ointment wouldn't cure his bruises or mend a cut, but it would stop the bleeding. After that he worked on his breathing to stabilize his chi as best he could, before walking up the stairway of corpses to the top of the slope.

The camp stood empty and quiet. Youki began to realize the tengu had spoken the truth about the camps numbers. It seemed more a tent city then a couple of huts. There was a small set of farmland and even a smithy here. One of the tents he passed had several tables with mahjong tiles laying on them. Games that had been interrupted to deal with an intruder no doubt.

Now the inhabitants of this city lay dead along the mountain, slain by his hand.

Youki turned away and walked on. Those who chose the path of murder must be willing to die themselves. This was the way of the world.

Nanbanji was sitting, club planted in the ground, waiting for him at the center of the camp. As he said it was a large open place, clean of obstructions. He wasn't sure if that was in his favor, or would work against him.

He stopped just outside the oni's massive reach. The red giant slowly stood and looked down at him. "You've cost me a lot Furuhashi Youki. It's gonna take a long time to gather a thousand youkai again. Especially since most of my race has decided to wander off for some stupid reason." The oni cracked his knuckles. "But know this. No human has ever beaten an oni in fair combat. Ever. You're gonna die here."

Youki slowly placed his hand on Hakurouken's hilt while dropping into a draw cut stance. "There is only truth in this fleeting world. Today, you die."

"Like hell you runt!" Nanbanji cried, sweeping his club through the air. Youki dipped low, then pushed off the ground beneath the arcing weapon. He was slow, but his first slash cut across the oni's leg. He considered the follow up, but instead he kept running. A wise move because Nanbanji stomped just where he had planned to be standing.

"Ugh! That sword!" The oni glared at Youki, then down at the cut he'd received. "So that thing can cut confusion, eh? I suppose you can hurt me little runt. But only if you hit!"

Youki replied by raising his sword high. He began focusing on the blade, calling what energy he possessed into it. The steel began to shine a light green. "Life Cutting Sword!" he cried, bringing the blade down, towards the oni's head. As he did green energy erupted from the sword, extending it's length.

Nanbanji roared in challenge and swung his iron club in front of him to block. The energy met the tetsubo with a loud clash. Youki grunted as he pressed down trying to cut through the club. There was a screech of metal, then Nanbanji laughed and slammed his left hand into the club. The energy around Youki's sword shattered, and Youki stumbled backwards.

"You can't cut an oni's weapon like that boy! Now let's finish this!" Nanbanji held his club up over his head, then slammed it down blindingly fast. Youki leaped to the side as the earth shook under the mighty assault.

Then he cried out in pain as the oni caught him out of the air with his left hand. "Nice dodge, but you can't defend in the air," the oni gloated. Youki felt his ribs strain, then break under the massive giant's incredible strength. His vision blurred as pain shot through his body again. He desperately lashed out with his blade, drawing a howl from the monster. There was a sudden burst of speed, then a horrible crunching impact as the oni threw him into the earth. His sword clattered onto the ground as he struggled to breath.

Nanbanji slowly advanced on him, club raised. It couldn't end like this, Youki thought as he lay there. He could almost see his soul rising from his body, but he couldn't die yet. His village, his mother hadn't been avenged yet! Nanbanji still lived to wreck chaos and murder. He needed to get up. To force his battered body to pick up the sword and strike! He tried to push himself up but all he got was a bloody cough. His next effort couldn't even manage that.

Then, as if in a dream, he saw himself rise. Whole and unbroken again. He watched himself pick up the sword as Nanbanji stared in shock. And then as if driven by his will, he saw himself literally fly across the air to bury his blade in the oni's heart.

Then darkness claimed him. 

* * *

The next thing Youki noticed was pain. Dull throbbing pain all over his body. The only parts that didn't hurt were numb and cold. He groaned as the pain intensified with his waking.

"Oh hey. Looks like he's gonna live after all."

Youki forced his eyes open. To his shock a ghost was floating right over him. Even more shocking was the sudden certainty that it was his ghost. Yet he still felt his body. Oh, did he feel his body. How was this possible?

"You know getting beaten half to death is supposed to be a figure of speech, not a real condition," another voice said.

Youki tried to turn his head to see the speakers, but his neck protested any bit of movement. Another flash of insight flowed over him and he focused his sight into his spirit. There was a shift within his mind, and he found himself looking down at his own body. Turning away from his injuries he looked to the voices, then twitched towards his sword when he saw them. It was two oni. Though they wore fairer forms then the great red beast he'd slain, their horns and chains still gave them away.

"No need to fight. We never liked that slob Nanbanji anyway," the shorter one said cheerfully. "Besides you showed us something cool, even though I lost the bet."

"Indeed," the taller oni replied. "'He who bathes in the blood of a thousand youkai will become one himself.' Always thought it was just a story. Guess it's real."

Youki coughed weakly. "Is he really dead?"

"Saw the Shinigami myself," the short one said. "Anyway me and Yuugi decided to see if you were gonna live before we wandered off. Figure even if Nanbanji was a half rate oni, anyone who can kill him would be a fun person to rumble with one day."

Yuugi nodded. "Since you're gonna survive, we'll patch you up a bit. We'd drop you in a village but that ghost of yours is gonna be a problem. I'm interested to see how your gonna handle that."

Youki just lay there. Lost. For a second he wondered if turning his own sword on himself could cut through the confusion that now engulfed him, but he discarded that idea. He had promised to live if he could. And while he hadn't been successful, he wouldn't sacrifice the gains he had made.

Finally he decided to just live in the moment. "I thank you for your aid." He did his best to lay still while the two oni moved and started roughly binding his wounds. As the pain lessened he began to notice his ghost half more. It really was a part of him, as alien as the idea was to his conscious mind.

When they finished, Suika stretched. "Well, that's it. We'll head out now. Try not to die out there Mr samurai turned youkai. Next time you find me, we can have a match. If you do well enough I might clue you in about someone who can teach you about ghosts."

"My thanks?" he managed to say.

The two walked away, seeming to have put his plight out of their minds. "So, double or nothing Yuugi?"

"Nah, we'll call this one a draw. He did kill a thousand guys before he fought the loser. That makes up for it not being a honest oni and then some," Yuugi replied.

"Right! I'll find another good match up soon. Just you wait and see."

"I won't hold my breath."

Youki closed his eyes as the two left. He wondered what he was going to do now. For that matter he wondered what he was now.

Still there was little he could do about that now. He slowly used his will to get his ghost half to bring over Hakurouken so he could clean and sheath it. Then he painfully pulled out his canteen and drank some water.

As he settled in to sleep and heal an whimsical thought passed through his mind. "I'll need to change my family name. After all this is a big enough event to warrant such a thing," he muttered.

Then he slept. He had a long journey still ahead of him.


	17. The News from Lake Suwa

This little story is best read in the voice of Garrison Keillor.

* * *

It's been a quiet week in my hometown of Gensoukyo. No new comers. No big events. And only twenty or so danmaku fights. Just lazy days leading to lazy evenings where you could go out with your family and watch the fireflies gather.

This was all great for the village, but up on the mountain it was a little different. It started out fine. The crow tengu flew around having fun, writing joke articles on flower shows and in depth restaurant critiques of ramen stands. Filling up the pages of their papers with articles saying things like "The broth has a deep and full body with hints of many exotic seasonings," and "The expert cut of the tuna cooked sweetly to perfection in my mouth." They started competing with each other to make the descriptions more and more extravagant, pouring over their thesauruses to pull out words like "ambrosial" and "saliferous" and "effluvious."

But after the third or fourth page of this they started getting tired. They'd reviewed all the restaurants that served enough sake to be worthwhile. Visited all the flower shows, twice. Once to see the flowers and once just in case Yuuka had shown up. And the only words that were left in the thesaurus were words like "saltish" and "yummy." The well of the news had run dry.

Now the Crow Tengu have a saying. "When the well of news runs dry, throw down a tsurube-otoshi and see what you can pull up." A lot of the younger tengu think this is a figure of speech, but in the old days they'd actually do this. They'd go sneak up on a tsurube-otoshi, very carefully approaching from above because they don't usually look up. Light wing beats and all that. Then they'd tie a rope around it's bucket fast as they could, run over to a well and then toss the bucket down! After that they'd just pull the rope up and see what they got.

Things being as they are what they usually got was a bullet or two from an angry tsurube-otoshi. Apparently they don't like being tossed down wells. They frown upon it. However crow tengu don't care about those sort of things. They care about their headline. And while "Tsurube-otoshi Breaks Tengu's Nose" isn't the most flattering of headlines, it does sell papers.

These days there aren't any tsurube-otoshi to throw down wells up above ground. So the tengu have to make do with a substitute. Fortunately Gensoukyo was built around a substitute for those youkai traditions that couldn't be transferred over from the real world. I am of course talking about bothering the shrine maiden.

It started out simple. The tengu who got out the most were first, since they had already been planning articles on flower shows and restaurants. They geared up, got their cameras, and started bothering Reimu about long term subscriptions. The kind that last three years and come with a lottery ticket for a prize you actually don't want, even if you could win it. Second came the sharper tengu, the keen eyed story thieves that were always on the lookout for new headlines. They saw the first group coming back with broken noses, and arms, and the smile of a tengu who has a full camera. So they grabbed their cameras and rushed out to question Reimu about what the other tengu had seen.

After that it sort of grew on it's own, like a tree in good soil or a snowball war when the fairies show up. The slower tengu came to get their pictures of a fight with Reimu. The conspiracy specialists came to ask what Reimu had against honest hard working reporters. "First responders" came to report about the sudden increase in reporting. "In depth reporters" came to interview the other reporters about their reporting styles. The "media critics" came to complain about how no one was doing serious investigative journalism. The reporters who had already been here came back to catch up, because their original story was no longer new and fresh.

In the end no one really remembered how this had started. There were tengu reporting on reports of a critique of a report about reporting critiques. And chances were when they were done there'd be another reporter standing right behind them, asking for their "expert analysis" of the news they'd just finished compiling. It had become a self sustaining news event, reports feeding new reports, like ouroboros eating its own tail.

It was a couple hours in that one of the "media critic" types opened up a drink stand as a satirical protest. Of course the reporting had been going on for so long even the tengu were starting to get tired and hungry. He sold out all his stock within five minutes. Seeing that business was good some of the youkai who'd been watching just for fun ran in and opened up their own stands. Soon there was a rush of people running back and forth to the human village to restock, which meant some of the more curious humans wandered over and started browsing the booths.

So just as quickly as it had appeared the tengu's "big scoop" turned into the "Gensoukyo Correspondence Appreciation Festival." The alcohol started flowing, and the tengu put away their cameras, and eventually even Reimu stopped shooting everyone and just tried to relax while shaking down the vendors for money.

This might seem like a strange way for a festival to form, but Gensoukyo has a long history of festivals and businesses starting up because of a passing whim. Especially if that whim was to annoy someone close to them. In fact four of the best known shops were built just to annoy someone. All from that famous group, the Kirisame family.

Back when the barrier had just formed Kiichi Kirisame was one of the finest onmyouji in Gensoukyo village. They said he was so good he once sealed a youkai with chopsticks and an squid bowl. Just stabbed the chopsticks into the ink sac, scribbled a sealing charm, then went back to his rice. Impressed the heck out of the cart owner. He didn't know you could use squid ink for sealing charms you see.

Now that last story might be a bit of an exaggeration, but even so Kiichi was the kind of guy people made exaggerations about. He was a figure of legend. People looked up to him, respected him. So when he finally settled down and had a son, everyone was certain his son would follow in his footsteps, Kiichi most of all. He went so far as to name the boy Takemi, to 'try to get a little extra courage in early.'

Kiichi did everything he could to make the boy a great spiritualist. Long trips to stand under freezing waterfalls, memorizing ancient writings, and calligraphy lessons every day. A lot of people thought he was pushing the boy too hard, but Takemi loved it. While the other kids played hopscotch he'd scribble kanji in the dirt. He knew four languages before most of his classmates mastered one. He'd even complain about the bathwater not being cold enough in the summer. He was a perfect student, everything his dad could have hoped for.

Then one day, when Takemi was about fourteen, he walked in and said, "Dad, I'm going to become a hatter."

Kiichi kind of blinked and scratched his head a bit and asked, "But why? You've been training all this time to become an spiritualist? Why quit now."

Takemi just sighed and shook his head. "Dad, one day you have to grow up and get a real job."

"What do you mean a real job, Son?"

"Youkai incidents are on the decline, Dad. And with the shrine maiden monopoly there's no room for growth in market share. Hat's are new. Hats are in. There's a big market for hats."

"There's more to life then money son. This is a family tradition. You'll shame the family name if you become some second rate tailor, Son!"

"I'll show you, Dad! I'll become the best hatter in the village."

Well as you can imagine that didn't go over well. The argument lasted about a month, the burning passion of youth clashing against the iron will of tradition, before Takemi left home and took up as an apprentice to the village's tailor.

There he mastered the way of lace and frills. He learned how to make good proper stiff brims and flexible headbands. And at the age of sixteen he opened up his own store, the "Kirisame Hat Shop."

It was an incredible success. People who loved hats went there. People who didn't love hats fell in love with hats. People who hated hats bought ribbons and bows so people would stop asking them if they needed a hat. Even youkai came in to buy hats. Hats became the new big thing. He personally was responsible for the hat's place in Gensoukyo. Takemi Kirisame was the best hatter in the village, and for him everything was perfect. He was in hat heaven.

Time moved on, as it always does, and Takemi married a nice woman who knew how to weave silk, and had a son of his own, Shinzo. Takemi was ecstatic. Takemi taught that boy everything he knew about hats. How to make them, how to fix them, how to find the best hat for someone. Every little trick and tip that made the Kirisame Hat Shop the best store in Gensoukyo.

Shinzo hated all of it. He hated the sewing. He hated the lace. He hated the customers. He hated everything about that store. It got to the point where he would knock the hats off of people around town then run away. He kept his hair short so he wouldn't need hairclips. He started distrusting umbrellas for being too hat-like.

As he got older would sneak away from his lessons and run off into the fields to help the farmers plant. He'd go fishing way out past the safe areas of the village. He started hanging out in bars, trying to learn how to be 'tough' and 'cool.'

Takemi tried to compromise with the boy. Started planing camping trips in the woods out where his father trained him. Explained how tough a shop owner needed to be tough and strong to protect their stock. But it didn't go anywhere. As soon as Shinzo got back in the hat shop his head drooped and his shoulders slumped, and he just started going through the motions again.

Finally Takemi decided he needed to force the issue. He pulled Shinzo aside out behind the shop where no one could hear them and said, "Son, there comes a time in every man's life when he needs to grow up and pick a career. Now maybe I've been wrong. Maybe hats aren't the thing for you. But you need to think of what you're going to do with your life."

Well Shinzo perked up at that. "Dad, I know what I want to do with my life. I want to be a lumberjack!"

"A lumberjack?" Takemi didn't quite believe what he'd heard. "You can't make a real living as a lumberjack son. There's no future in the business."

"It's not about the money, Dad. It's about a sense of accomplishment."

"There's plenty of accomplishment in real work too son. Now your gonna get back to your training until you think of a real job you like."

In the end Takemi was the only one surprised when Shinzo ran away from home and took up in the forest. It crushed the poor man, seeing his oldest son reject his beloved paradise of headwear. It took him two years to recover, and start focusing on training his second son to take over the business.

Meanwhile Shinzo was enjoying the woods. He went out there and carved out a spot for himself. A small house, with a little farm and easy access to all the stuff he needed to survive. The local youkai bothered him of course, but a few amulets made them decide he wasn't worth the effort. Then, one day after he settled down a bit, he dragged back the most perfect ceder tree the village had seen. He auctioned it off right then and there, and with that his business was off and running.

Shinzo became every bit the legend among loggers as his father was among hatters. He cut down almost one of every tree in the forest, and considering how mean some of the trees are around here are that was quite the feat. It's hard to get a proper cut when the tree keeps stealing your ax. But Shinzo did it, and he did it without breaking a sweat. He was so good he didn't even need to run the business side of things. People just came to him with orders and he'd name a price.

Shinzo got married to strong woman who wasn't afraid to live out in the woods, and eventually he had a son of his own, Taro. Shinzo did his best to make sure the kid knew his way around the forest. That he knew the names of the plants and their uses.

By now I bet your sensing a pattern here. Taro was always more interested in the village, especially the marketplace. He loved the bargaining and bartering. He was fascinated at how an egg could go from the farmer at one end of the market, to a passing fish vendor in exchange for a tilefish, then to the ice seller for a few extra ice shards, then finally over to the takoyaki vendor at the far end, only to end up in the batter for the next batch. To him it was like a dance, an intricate ballet of goods. It was a huge revelation to the boy. The idea that you could get things, even simple everyday things like food, without having to beat up ten fairies and farm it yourself.

So he went to his father and said, "Dad, your wood brings in a lot of money. Why don't we use some of that to buy our food instead of hunting all the time?"

Shinzo just stood there for a moment dumbfounded. "Well... it's not right to do that. Money isn't everything son. You should contribute all you can. Accomplish something with your life."

"But what if I want to accomplish other things, dad? What if I want to hang out with other kids, or play games like go or something? Why shouldn't I just make a lot of money fast and use my free time to do what I want to do?"

Shinzo wasn't the type of man used to frowning. He hadn't frowned in a long time. So when he heard his son say that his face twisted, bent into strange shapes not meant to be on a face. But he did his best to keep his cool. "That's merchant talk," he said. "And I don't want to hear any more of it. Now lets get back home. We've got radishes to pick and the fairies will probably be trying to steal the laundry."

The very next day Taro was gone, along with all his possessions. All that was left was a note that said, "I'll become the best merchant in town, Dad. Just you see." Shinzo just shook his head sadly. He never spoke about his son again, but he started spending more time training his daughter, who truth to be told was a better lumberjack to begin with.

Meanwhile Taro started small. He dusted off a spot in the marketplace and started selling herbs that he found in the forest. All he had was his stock and a sign that read "Magic Forest Healing Herbs. Sure to Ease Your Pain." But Taro was good at buying and selling. Within a week he'd gotten his own stall up. By the end of the month he was selling the items that other people had traded to him instead of herbs. A year later and the Kirisame Second Hand Shop opened up, just a few blocks down from his grandfathers hat shop.

Business boomed for the newest Kirisame shop. Taro had a bunch of assistants, one of whom eventually became his wife. And they in turn had a daughter Marisa. And as soon as news got out bets were ten to one that she'd run away before she was thirteen. People in Gensoukyo are nothing if not skilled at pattern recognition.

For a long while though it looked like they'd all be wrong. Marisa was just as fascinated by trade as her father was. Admittedly sometimes she was a little bad about the payment part of the trade, but she was sharp as a tack and she loved the store. She would sit behind the counter just to see the new items people would bring in. Every battered lamp, rotted book and faded picture was a treasure to her eyes. A mystical relic that needed to be investigated, cleaned and traded only if a better item came in exchange.

Which is why Taro was so surprised when Marisa came up waving a book of magic spells above her head and proclaimed loudly, "I want to be a witch!"

Taro looked down at that book with great trepidation. He'd always known that his daughter might find a different path then his own, but a witch? No one would willing go to sell a witch their old goods. But if he told her to give up on her dream, well, he could recognize patterns too! He stared at that book as if it were a mine. A horrible trap that was sure to take his daughter away if he couldn't find a way to disarm it. Finally he simply said. "That's nice dear," and patted Marisa on the head. Then he stole into her room that night and took the book away, figuring Marisa would just think it had been lost.

It might have worked too, if Marisa hadn't been sneaking into her parents room already to see what rare items he picked up each night. Two days after he hid the book away Marisa had gone off into the woods to become a witch.

A few years of mage training in the forest later the Kirisame Magic Shop was opened. And while Taro had been right about people not being keen on selling her their used goods, they were happy to buy things from her for ridiculous prices. She sold potions, and charms, and most of all fireworks. The finest fireworks in all Gensoukyo, built not just with gunpowder but with her own magic. Sparklers that lasted for days and rockets that changed into dragons midair were just some of the few new and exciting fireworks she made.

So of course when the Gensoukyo Correspondence Appreciation Festival started she was there, preparing a new show for when night fell. Tengu, kappa and humans alike would wander over and hand her a few coins, and she'd smile and ask what type of fireworks they liked best, before adding another round to her mortars.

Night fell, and people cleared the skies for the performance. And what a performance it was. There were noise makers, and color changers, and sparklers and lasers. Rockets that spun and twisted to form a camera that took a picture of the watching crowds. And of course leaflet droppers to spread the newspapers from the higher paying customers out around the crowd during intermissions.

When it was all over and done with Marisa looked at her handiwork with an amount of pride. It was a great accomplishment from her perspective. She it didn't match fighting through strange dimensions and stealing from aliens, but it was a lot safer. You had to appreciate the small jobs after all.

As she was standing there she heard a cough and her father walked up beside her.

The two stood there silently for a long while, each stubbornly looking out at the festival. A sort of anti staring contest, where the first one to look the other in the eyes or walk away would lose. People would wander over to talk to one of the other, then freeze and walk away, somehow realizing there was mental battle, a cosmic struggle going on between the two.

Finally Taro cleared his throat again, signaling his defeat. Marisa started to walk away, but before she disappeared into the crowd he said, "That was a good fireworks display. The best."

The young girl didn't turn around. But she replied, "Thanks, Dad."

Sometimes in life, a few words are all you need.

That's the news from Gensoukyo. Where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are about average.


	18. Your Heart

_Note: While I just finished transfering Megadoll X over recently I wanted to post this now that it was complete. I tried something new here, and I hope you all enjoy it._

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I carefully looked all around the cavern before dashing to the next stalagmite. I froze, then scanned the dark shadows between the pillars for trouble. I'd perfected this route a long time ago, back when I'd followed Aya down here to learn her secrets, but I just didn't feel at ease. There was something in the flickering shadows that promised malice for the unwary. It didn't help that while I'd been here before, and everyone knew I'd been here before, it was still super duper illegal for me to be here.

Fortunately I didn't have much further to go.

The Palace of the Earth Spirits was a massive building, bigger then any human castle, with windows of masterfully worked stained glass. I could probably do a whole article just on the windows, but right now I only cared about one of them. The one window that could never close.

I crouched, then leaped through the opening. The stone floors made me cough with pain when I hit, but a quick roll brought me to my feet. I couldn't help but smile as I surveyed the massive corridors. Expert entry by a prodigy reporter. Now I didn't need to bother to hide.

"I told you I don't like having my picture taken. Why are you down here again?"

Lucky! I had to swallow a laugh at how fortunate I was. I'd been hoping to talk to the head lady herself and here she was! I'd expected to have to fight through waves of angry cats to meet with her. I ignored her three eyed glare and pulled out my cellphone so I could take notes. "Hiya! Hatate Himekaidou, Kikashi Spirit News. I'd like an interview, Satori Komeiji, or should I say, Ms. Eureka Heart!"

This time I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing when she reeled back "What? How did you? Writing lessons? Think slower!" Her sudden outburst startled away my smile. This didn't seem like how Satori normally acted. Admittedly normally she'd just start shooting at me-

Her words interrupted my thoughts. "Hm... 'Normally you just start shooting danmaku.' Well yes, because normally you're here for pictures. But now you're here for blackmail?"

I felt a little embarrassed having my plan so openly stated. I mean, I was more tasteful then that right? "Hey now, I'm not here for blackmail, I'm here to improve my writing."

Satori sighed at my reply. "You'll just release my true identity to the public if I don't help. Well, I can't help you, but since you leave me no choice, I'll try."

That seemed wrong to me somehow. "Hey now, you're really good at writing! You have to have some tricks for me. Your manga brought the great tengu himself to tears you know." And me as well, though I'd never say that. "Anyone who can do that's gotta have skill!"

Satori ignored my words and just turned around and walked away. Not having any other ideas, I just followed after her. It was a little unnerving how our footsteps echoed dissonantly through the empty halls. Finally after a few corridors she spoke again. "My skill comes from years of experience." I felt my wings twitching beneath my skin at that. I'd gotten real tired of hearing people repeat experience over and over to me. Satori continued on. "I learned what to write by experiencing the reality of the world, experiencing each of life's blows and cuts. I learned how to write by reading the desires in people's hearts. Seeing their hopes and despairs written out before me. I can't teach you that."

I had to admit, while I didn't like the 'experience' cop out, she had a point. But it also didn't fit right in my head. "It's more then that though right? I mean all, well most satori can read minds and they aren't writers like you. You've got something else, you know." And she did. Her books were great. Okay admittedly I liked her simpler manga works more then her critically acclaimed literary works, but you know, we all have our favorite styles.

She walked on in silence. I started wondering if Satori was disagreeing with my explanation but just giving me the silent treatment. She quickly shook her head when I thought that. "No no. I'm merely a little taken aback at your praise. Perhaps you are correct." Satori sighed. "Still I am uncertain how I can teach you."

"Well, it's obvious, you just..." I stopped. I didn't have a clue how she was going to teach me. I mean wasn't that the point and all? If I know what I needed to learn from her I wouldn't need to learn it. "Well, I mean, how did you learn how to write?"

"I read a lot of books and minds, then I started writing." Satori's expression didn't change as she continued. "Then I wrote things and showed them to people while reading their hearts. It's good feedback, if painful."

"Oh." Yeah that was something I couldn't do. I wasn't sure what I should suggest now. Heck I didn't even know where I was going. The tiled floors and stained glass windows of the giant palace all looked the same. If it weren't for the breath of wind from that one open window I wouldn't even know which way the exit was.

"Ah, that's how you navigate around this place." Satori said in response to my thoughts. "I'll have to remember that. As to where we're going, isn't it obvious?" Satori opened another door. "My library."

Satori's words rebounded on themselves in the stone halls, like the pounding of a gavel to sentence the condemned. Which was fitting because the place looked like a courtroom. The bookshelves loomed over me as I forced myself to step in. This place wasn't anything like Voile. Voile was crowded and stuffy, with books just lying about in a clutter of information. The shelves here stood on their own against the wall. Each stretched up to the ceiling, a monument to the knowledge they contained, and that I had yet to learn. The atmosphere was made even heavier by the complete and utter lack of other furnishings. The only thing in the room other then the shelves was a single table with a lamp at the far end. It almost looked like a defendant's table.

"Hm... A rather lurid imagination, but you're somewhat correct. This place used to be a courtroom for the yamas back when this was still hell." Satori gently touched off the floor and floated silently over towards the desk like this was all totally normal. I forced myself to try to ignore the feelings the room inspired in me and just fly along like everything was normal. Still, I wondered how the other woman could be so blind to the atmosphere here. "It's a lot easier to ignore the atmosphere when you've seen the court in session," Satori said as she pulled out a chair and dropped into it. "So then, let's start this exercise in futility. What exactly are you trying to write?"

That question banished the gloomy atmosphere from my mind. "Why my newspaper of course! Isn't it obvious? I mean a newspaper is a crow tengu's pride and joy." And with the writing skills I could gain here I'd be finally able to beat that Bunbunmaru rag!

Satori nodded. "So you think you need an edge to beat Aya. After all she has more experience, since you're only three hundred twenty two years old."

I flinched as my winds wriggled again. I hated that word. "Experience isn't everything ya know! I've got skills that even Aya is jealous of. Don't write me off so easily! It's not polite!" She should have known that was a sore spot from last time!

Satori sighed, her two normal eyes closing. "Hm... 'Why's she bringing up stuff like that? I was entirely wrong about her.' Well, five encounters before you learned why my power is hated. That's better then normal."

I flushed as I slammed the table. That was just being rude. "Seriously, why are you being so, so, bitchy about that? You didn't need to bring that up!"

Satori opened her eyes and pressed forward. A wave of pressure seemed to roll off her and I'm ashamed to say it stopped me cold. It was completely different from her basic persona. "Yes I did. It's what I am," she said in cold clipped sentences. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to sit straight despite her presence. I was a tengu! I wasn't going to back down to a satori, no matter how famous.

After a moment Satori leaned back and the pressure faded. I slowly relaxed as the challenge faded away. "Yes, you do still have your pride as a youkai." The woman's shoulders shrugged as she sighed deeply. "And you still have that blackmail information, so I'll see what I can find." She carefully stood then floated towards one of the upper shelves.

As my unwilling host drifted out of sight I looked over the writing implements scattered across the table and frowned. When I'd started out on this it'd seemed like the best plan ever! Now I was starting to have doubts and regrets. Maybe Satori was right and she really couldn't help me with writing as a reporter? Maybe my failure wasn't in my writing? And if it was could I stand working with her long enough to learn?

I shook those thoughts from my head then grabbed a piece of paper and started scribbling a quick account of my journey here. I'm not the type to get bogged down in what if and maybes. That never helped anyone right? Best to keep moving and find the brighter side of life. Or at least make bitching about things fun.

"That does make your mind more fun to read then most." My pen slipped as the Satori's sudden comment caused me to totally lose my train of thought. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I forget sometimes how much better my pets senses are then even most youkai." Satori softly landed, then shattered the graceful silence by dropping the books onto the table with an echoing thud. "Here's what I have on the matter. Perhaps they will help."

I looked down at the stack of dusty tomes and thin magazines. Somehow they didn't seem to leak mastery of the written word. As I skimmed the titles my opinion of the stack dropped lower. "Aren't all of these fiction works?" What the hell was I going to learn from that?

"Yes. Fiction is the essence of things in Gensoukyo." Satori sat down as she continued answering the question I hadn't asked. "Books on how to write as a reporter will teach you one person's style of writing. A story about a reporter can tell you what a reporter should be."

I couldn't even feel insulted at that nonsensical statement. I just raised an eyebrow and replied, "I'm a crow tengu, I know what a reporter should be."

"No, you know how to be a gossip." I couldn't help but growl at that, but she ignored me. "You crow tengu innately desire to spread information and speculation quickly. There is, apparently, supposed to be a difference between that and a reporter." Satori tapped the stack. "And that difference is somewhere in here."

"That's..." My protest died on my lips. There might be something to what Satori had said. When I'd followed Aya around I learned that news was more then just simply reporting what her pictures showed. It might be possible that I'd missed something else. In fact, it might be better if I'd missed something! If there was a facet of true reporting that I could learn from this I'd be sure to pull ahead of Aya, no ahead of all the other crow tengu! I grabbed the top book and flipped it open. "That's a good idea! Alright, let's do this."

A small smile inched across Satori's face. "I'm glad to see you're happy with the idea." She stood and began walking away. "I have to go tell my pets to prepare a larger meal then normal. I'll return in a bit to hear any questions you might have."

I gave the woman a distracted wave before turning my full attention to the book. I skimmed through the story itself, trying to find the nuggets of knowledge hidden within.

But that didn't last.

My energy slowly leached out of me as I flipped through one book after another. I felt myself slowly being drawn down into my chair, the quicksand of boredom refusing to release it's hold on me. Every one of these cookie cutter reporters were the same. They all cried about bringing "the truth" and then cut through red tape or something and learned the big secret and exposed it. I could do that! Exposing secrets is easy! But that couldn't be the difference between a gossip and a reporter.

The door opening was a welcome reprieve. Finally I could take a break from this waste of time. Satori was there, along with a dog girl that I'd never seen before. Or maybe it was that dog that tried to bite me the last time I came in. It didn't matter really. The important thing was the tray of sandwiches the dog girl was carrying.

"Lunch is served," Satori said as she sat back down.

"Thanks" I replied. I put the book aside with no small relief and grabbed one of the sandwiches. Satori sat down opposite to me and grabbed one of her own. The dog girl gave me a mean look and left. Oh well, reporters were often misunderstood. Even these books got that much right.

"I take it then your search hasn't gone well?" Satori stated

"Ugh!" I couldn't help but flop down on the table. "These books all have the same plot! Or at least the reporting part of the story does. 'Find the big scoop! Stick it to those in power!'" I took out my frustrations on the sandwich. "None of them have anything to do with day to day reporting other then to bitch about it."

"Hm... Yes, that's sometimes a problem when doing research like this." Satori nibbled at her food a bit before continuing. "There are certain areas where people are uninterested in the reality compared with the fantasy. Often this works in the writers favor, like in combat or erotica. In other fields it makes things more difficult."

I blinked at the explanation. "Wait, are you telling me people don't like sex? Somehow I don't think that's a common sentiment, ya know."

She raised an eyebrow at me, like I was the one who'd said something strange. "I said people prefer fantasy in erotica. Erotica isn't sex. If nothing else it's missing the parts most people enjoy. I know some writers claim there's no limit to what can be done with words, but I'd have to disagree."

I wondered how she would know that, then winced. She could read that right out of my head of course. Satori's smirk only made me feel more awkward. I turned back to the books and started skimming again before my mind gave away more stupid questions. And before Satori started giving answers.

The reading took my mind off that little bit of stupidity, but only because it was painfully boring. It was the same story again and again. At least it was when reporting was the focus. Some of the books read more like an action manga. Reporting was barely touched on. I felt the chair slowly trying to consume my body again and wondered if chairs fed on boredom. If so this chair was getting a feast.

Finally I tossed the last hard bound book down. "Nothing. None of these have anything new."

Satori frowned "I see. That's unfortunate. Perhaps I'll have to search again." She sighed, then pointed down at the last set of writing she'd pulled out at the start. "What about those books there?"

I looked down at the brightly covered manga tomes Satori indicated. Somehow the thought that something so garish might hold what I was looking for seemed ridiculous. Still I was stuck here anyway right? I flipped it open.

I was greeted by yet another reporter who hated reporting. 'The City' was a real eye opener, filled with gratuitous sex imagery that would put the Fisherman's wife to shame, but the first volume was  
just more sound and fury about the truth. At least the pictures made the story move faster. I got through the first book and tossed it aside before grabbing the next.

Satori sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Unfortunate. I'd hoped that you'd find something worthwhile." It seemed she really had been trying to help me. It was nice of her, given I'd kinda strong-armed her into it. I shrugged and turned back to the reading. As I said, it was fast paced, so I might as well finish it. This volume started off with more needless cursing and yammering about the truth.

And then something changed. Something that triggered my reporter's senses. A little voice that said 'Hey, something big is here!' I sat up and started reading closely.

It wasn't the assistant that the reporter got, though the explanations he gave to them made something click. It wasn't the story. The story was still the same search for 'truth.' It wasn't the setting, as weird  
and shocking as it was. No there was something else different. Something that seeped out around the story. Something that made the articles, even though they were fake articles, stand out more then any  
article I'd ever read before.

I finished the story, but I still couldn't find exactly what is was the drew me in. I cursed and started in again at the second volume, flipping through to find the articles, searching for the meaningful ones. Satori leaned forward as I searched, occasionally parsing through my cast offs, and organizing the piles to make my research easier.

In the end I found it in a meaningless article about a woman who barely featured in the story. It wasn't a special story. Something similar had happened to thousands in this world. It wasn't a magical telling that united everyone to step up and fix the problem. In the end no one really cared. But it was her story. A story that, as similar as it was to everyone else's, was still unique. And that was when I figured out what I needed to learn. Or perhaps unlearn.

"What is truth?"

I realized how stupid the question sounded as soon as I said it, but that was the difference. That was what made these stories stand out. What gave them meaning all on their own. Truth was more then just facts. Or perhaps I should say, the truth that a reporter must hunt for are the facts with the least value.

When Heida no Akyuu was born, any Tengu could report the facts of her birth. The time, her weight, the name of the midwife attending. That was simple. And anyone could wax poetic about how totally awesome it was to see the new Child of Miare and what it meant for Gensoukyo. Truths, yes. Even important truths.

But who would ask her mother what it was like to see her child for the first time? The joy and pain of having a kid. The hope and pride knowing that her girl was one of the most important humans in the village.

Who would ask that woman, forgotten by history, what it feels like to know she will live to bury that child she just bore?

Satori just nodded in agreement. Of course. She could see what I had just realized. You could understand After all, you saw these truths all the time. Perhaps that was what defined her as a youkai.

Her eyes opened wide, then she chuckled slightly. "A youkai of truth? Perhaps." Her eyes slowly dropped away from mine. "But I see them differently. You can see them as parts of a whole. You can understand both their hearts and their rational mind. That there is something a satori can't see." Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes focused on nothing in particular. "I don't know what it's like for someone to bite their tongue, at least not like you. I always see the words the spiteful part of them wants to say."

She started and looked back at me, while managing to force a smile. "Some people are better to be around then others of course. People like you, who think of strangers as interesting subjects aren't bad to be around in passing. Monks are tolerable, at least the good ones. But as soon as someone starts to get to know me, to spend time with me..." Her eyes drifted away again.

For the first time I looked at her. Not as a story or a resource to be used, but as a youkai. I don't know what changed within me, but I felt like the world had more color and depth especially her. Perhaps my revelation had opened my eyes, forced me to start seeing people as people instead of just facts. Perhaps it was because her armor of pride had fallen away. Perhaps it was both or neither or something else entirely. But I knew, then, that I needed to interview you. To learn what it meant to be Satori. Not just a satori, but Satori Komeiji, the most famous of her race.

She looked up at me with widened eyes. I think this was the first time I surprised you as well. "Interview... me?" She pulled away, the pride of a youkai starting to slip over her expression again. "Why interview me?"

That was a good question. Opportunity, interest, desire? I couldn't give a single answer. But if anyone needed to have their story told, it was someone like you. Someone who people didn't want to speak to, who people avoided. Someone who understood a truth no one else could.

As she read my thoughts, she slowly relaxed. A small smile formed on her lips, but her violet eyes were dull. "I suppose someone who has stolen the truth from so many others should repay the favor in kind." She sighed and leaned forward. I leaned back, trying to give her space. "I'll start at the beginning, with our birth, because that I think is what made us different from other satori."

She sat there for a few moments, collecting her thoughts before taking a deep breath and starting. "You know that satori breed true right? Like yuki-no-onna. And that most of us have a human parent." I nodded silently. I'd learned that much. "Our mother was lucky. She fell in love with a messenger for the shogunate. He was happy to marry a 'woman' who would put up with his constant absences, and they were never around each other long enough for our races... idiosyncrasies to become a problem." Satori's eyes grew a little brighter. "They were only together for fifteen years before he died, and they saw each other for less then a month each year. But they were happy. That's better then most."

I briefly wished I could have seen such a unique union, maybe talked to Satori's mother, but I let the thought slip away as she continued. "Koishi and I were born from that union. Myself three years after they met, and her two years before father died."

I saw Satori's third eye close a little as she looked into the past. "Koishi and I were always together. We weren't inseparable, no we satori value time alone too much for that, but we were close." She snapped back to the present and stared at me. "You have to understand most satori can't even stand each other. But because Koishi and I were together so often we learned something most satori didn't. We learned how to ignore the momentary flashes of anger and disappointment that flash across the hearts of most people, because we always knew we loved each other, even when our hearts said something cruel."

As I scribbled down her words I wondered if that applied to people like me as well. I mean, I didn't really mean some of the nastier things I thought about you.

Satori's smile twisted a little. "You meant them when you thought them." I winced at the reprimand, but your words didn't really sting. "Still you weren't that insulting. And you feel bad about them now so I don't see a reason to press the matter."

I felt the good cheer in the room drain away as she sighed and her smile faded.. "However, that was our problem. We loved each other, but the world didn't love us. It was... difficult." She began tracing patterns on the table as she thought up how to explain herself. "I weathered the storm better. Perhaps because I was older. Still I find I don't trust people as much. Too often the words in their heart become reality. Koishi..."

She had closed her third eye to escape. It had taken me a while to find that out. I still wasn't fully sure what it meant either, but the younger Komeiji was a strange being.

Satori slumped onto the table. "Yes. Koishi couldn't take how much people hated her. She tried to give people the benefit of the doubt. She hoped that their friendliness and respect were stronger then the fear and hate that welled up within their hearts. But that was so rarely true. In the end she sealed her heart partially.

My pen stopped and I looked up at Satori. Partially sealed? I'd never heard that.

"Yes. Partially sealed." Satori's own third eye closed a little. "The proof of that is you remember her. If her eye was fully sealed she wouldn't show up at all in your mind. She has thrown away all her thoughts, all her emotions, except for the bond that connects us. Our love as sisters is why those who know me can remember her."

It sounded like a miracle, a bond that people had spent their lives search for, but the dead way you said those words...

She turned even further, turning her face to hide her expression from me. That was when I realized it. You're afraid you're holding your sister back. You think that your love is chaining her conscious mind.

She shivered at my words, but she didn't deny anything. I saw your eyes begin to glisten with tears and I found myself pulling out the handkerchief I use to wipe my camera lens. She hesitated a moment, then took it with a nod before gently wiping her eyes. Then she took a deep breath and pushed herself back up off the table. "Thank you." she said as she handed me back the handkerchief. Her eyes were sharp again, but her touch was light. I couldn't help but blush as you smirked at me for my errant thoughts. My mind searched for another topic.

I wondered if you had ever considered closing your third eye. Sacrificing happiness and pain for contentment. Her smile softened, but there was none of the pain that was there before. "I did a few times. Back when my sister first closed her eye I considered following her, and again when I realized our connection was keeping her from totally losing her conscious identity. But both times I rejected it." She sighed. "I can't force my sister to follow my path, but I think she's wrong. I think the Buddhists are wrong."

Was it your pets that made you think that?

"No." You shake your head. "No I love my pets, and they love me. But they think differently. They'd be a little sad if my heart wasn't open, but they'd still be able to have fun with me. I didn't change for another reason."

You fell silent, but somehow I knew the truth you carried. The tilt of your head. The look you have in your eyes. The way your heartbeat changes as it pumps through your third eye. These are the keys to the existence of Satori Komeiji that you have given me, and I know, without a doubt, that you kept your powers because you had hope. A hope that one day you would meet someone who would care for you despite your power. A hope that you could find someone you could trust other then your sister.

That was why you wrote so many books. You wanted to let your voice be heard without hate or prejudice changing the meaning. You wanted to bring others laughter, and tears, and hope. And maybe, just maybe, someone would find you through your words.

You don't reply to my realizations, but they way you blush and turn ever so slightly away is enough for me to know the truth. And I am humbled by it.

Then it's my turn to blush in shame as I realize I've once again treated you like a resource. I took one of your truths, something personal, that was once yours alone all to satisfy my need for a new story. I took and I took and I offered nothing in return.

A soft presence falls upon my arm, and I see your hand on my wrist. "That's not true," you say quietly. "You listened to me. You gave me your full attention, and you did everything you could to make me comfortable. To respect me and my existence."

I opened my mouth to ask how she knew that, and then I froze again my wings near bursting out at the realization. You giggled at my surprise. A strange sound coming from you. "That's right Hatate. You haven't said a word since you started interviewing me. You let me see your thoughts directly, and spoke from your heart without malice."

I considered replying, then closed my mouth. I'd gotten this far without words, perhaps I could keep going. Though I didn't really have a clue what to do now.

You did though. Your smile faded, and your eyes swept over me like they did when we first met. Assessing me, body and mind. You hesitate, then leaned forward and asked, "Do you find me attractive Hatate?"

The shock sends my heart racing. The first thing my mind does of course is try to answer your question. Your clothes are wrinkled and you haven't spent much time getting the cowlicks out of your hair. But your body's presence, your mind and that hopeful spirit all draw me in ways I can't explain.

And then I looked away, because I felt like this was all taking advantage of you yet again. Playing off your emotions and need for understanding. Then I felt your hand gently forcing me to face you, and I saw in your eyes the strength that had guided you here. "You won't be taking advantage of me Hatate. To be honest, I might be taking advantage of you."

I wondered if this was too fast, but I knew on some level you couldn't wait. You couldn't trust me to feel the same towards you tomorrow. It's easy to find sympathy for the devil, but harder to keep it.

You nodded. "And I don't trust myself. You say I have hope and strength, but well..." Your eyes softened once again. You can't trust yourself to have it tomorrow. Then you smiled brilliantly. "But, I do love reading happy minds like yours, Hatate."

That settles it. I cover your warm hand with my own as I try to find my voice. I know you've already heard the words in my heart, but I want to say them aloud so you hear them in my words as well. "I think you're beautiful, Satori."

We stood and you slid in alongside me. Somehow your eyes switched again, to a smoking gaze and the press of your body against mine made all the minor nitpicks in my mind fade away. For the first time the difference in our age and experience really hit me, but I didn't feel angry or cheated, just awkward.

"My room is this way," you say as you guide me out.


	19. A Cat's Day Out

*Bong* *Bong* *Bong* *Bong* *Bong* *Bong* *Bong*

Orin stretched and yawned as the great Grandfather clock rang out the hour. She considered sleeping for a little longer, but her stomach quickly reminded her of the other important thing in life. So after kneading the couch she'd been resting on for a bit, she hopped down and made her way over to one of the Palace of the Earth Spirit's kitchens.

Asagi gave her a low wuff and a few tail wags before the inugami returned to it's breakfast. Rin graced the dog with a gaze and a tail lash before moving to get her own food. She briefly considered switching to human form to get into the pantry, but the door was open enough that she could simply paw it open. As she did the delightful smell of corpses rolled out.

Orin didn't bother hunting down her dish or pulling off chunks. She just jumped onto the two corpses there and started eating. It wasn't the choicest of meats, but it was good enough to start off the day. Besides now that Okuu had gotten the power of a god they'd had a lot more corpses to spare.

After finishing up breakfast she hopped back down and headed out to the courtyard, and the hell of blazing fires concealed beneath it. It was time to go to work.

The massive shutters that once served to keep the lost souls within the hell of blazing fires sadly required her to leave her cat form. She took a few seconds to get used to the feeling of hands, before starting up the winches and cranks to open the doors.

The heat wave that hit her when she opened the floor of the courtyard was intense, almost as hot as the place had gotten back when it was the old hell. As a kassha it wasn't too dangerous for her, but it was still hotter then she really liked. "You're overdoing it again Okuu," she groused.

When the fires were this hot the only thing to do was to open up the shutters all the way and let the heat out for a day or two. Still that did make her job easier. Perhaps she could go out and tour the surface world after she finished here. With that pleasant thought in mind she started working the crank again, humming off key as she did.

"Brains!"

Orin looked over to see a group of little fairies, each dressed up like a zombie. "Hey guys. You wanna come with my today?"

The lead fairy giggled and spun around before grabbing onto the crank and starting to spin around. Orin kept humming as the other five joined in. These little flame spirits would do almost anything if they could be convinced it was a game. Admittedly it took them a while to figure out which direction to spin, but after that they did all the work while Orin sat back and watched.

When the shutters were fully open she clapped. "Good work girls. Let's head out." The fairies chattered amongst themselves at the praise, then flew to hide in the skulls that she had in her cart. Orin nodded as the skull's eyes filled with blue flames to match the other evil spirits that followed her, then upped the amount of power she was leaking as a youkai. Now she could ignore them as she pleased, while still being sure they were somewhere nearby following her power.

That done she zipped down into the former hell, towards the nuclear reactor. Telling Okuu to turn the heat down wouldn't take long. And then she could grab the elevator and go out to play. 

* * *

"Line up!" Chen said to the assembled cats. Orin carefully moved into the line, making sure to keep at least one normal cat between her and the shikigami. Chen was terrible about sensing intruders, but Orin didn't want to risk it just yet...

Chen continued her little spiel. "Alright, everyone, you know the drill by now. Anyone who steals someone elses food doesn't get seconds. I want you all to be good shikigami so you have to learn to respect my orders, especially you Shi-" Orin dashed towards the sardine pile behind the other nekomata as soon as Chen focused on one of the other cats in front of her.

"Hey! I said no cheating!" The nekomata pounced at her. It was a good attack, one that would have caught a normal cat.

Orin of course just flew back away from Chen's dive, then dashed through the air into the box. She transformed to a humanoid as she swiped the sardines, then quickly downed the fish before Chen could steal them back. Chen hissed in annoyance as Orin licked her fingers clean. "Looks like my win, kid."

"What the hell, Rin!" Chen snarled. "Is your master not feeding you? Is that why you're stealing from house cats?"

Orin snickered. "I'm doing fine, but it's more fun to catch food yourself. Perhaps you're too young to understand that, kitten."

The stray cats scattered as Chen's tails bristled. "You second rate pet, I'll show you the power of a Yakumo!"

"Sure sure." Orin snapped her fingers. "Fireballs, girls."

The five fairies dashed out of the brush and began floating around Orin in a circle. Chen jumped out of the way as they started tossing mini fireballs. "Nyahaha! See ya round little house kitten!" Orin spun and began her retreat.

"Grr, I may not have familiars, but I'm way faster then you!" Chen curled up into a spinning ball and slammed into Orin's back.

Orin immediately shifted to cat form before Chen could get a good hold of her and latched on to the nekomata's tail. Chen changed in response and tried to pounce on Rin. Orin of course just rolled on her back and batted the smaller cat to the side before counter pouncing.

The two rolled and tumbled in the air as the strays and fairies looked on. Chen was incredibly nimble, but she'd spent too much time in human form to really be good at this. A fact Orin was happy to drum into the nekomata with her paws.

"What's all this noise, Chen!" The two cats froze as Ran's annoyed voice called up from the village. As one the two nekomata broke their grapple and dashed away in different directions. Orin hoped that the kitsune would head after her wayward shikigami first, but she wasn't about to slow down to find out.

Still she'd accomplished something important with her little game. It wouldn't be good if the younger cats got too arrogant, right? 

* * *

After she was sure she'd given Ran the slip she headed off to the village proper to rustle up some corpses. Sadly, it seemed that no one had died recently in the village so she moved on to the next stop on her itinerary; the Hakurei Shrine. She could sleep in the sun there until Reimu made dinner, then eat a bit before going home for supper.

At least that's what her plan was.

As Orin cleared the line of trees around the shrine she saw there was an intruder in the shrine. An interloper claiming her rightful place. There, in the sunning spot next to the pond was a calico cat taking up her space! Even more insulting, the intruder had only one tail!

This would not do.

Orin dropped from the sky to approach the interloper from the ground. As she did she allowed her power to leak out, knowing that it would put any non magical beast under her influence. _"Oi! What are you doing here?"_

The intruder didn't jump up and run away like he was supposed to. Instead he yawned, stretched and sat up to look at her, tail lashing. _"Hey, Genji. Who's this new girl?"_

_"New girl?!"_ Orin yowled back. She lowered herself to pounce on the fool and beat some sense into him when the pool suddenly bulged and overflowed. They both had just enough time to leap away before the water soaked them.

_"Hey, watch it Genji!"_ they both said.

The ancient turtle ignored the mental chastisement from the two cats. "That girl was captured by Yukari. Something about letting the spirits from the underground out. Reimu said she'd look after the creature."

_"Who's a creature ya bearded bottom feeder?" _Orin hissed down at the turtle. Genji merely rolled his eyes and sank back into the pool.

_"Huh, you'd think the boss would tell me if she got a pet,"_ the other cat said.

Orin's tail started twitching furiously. _ "Hey! I'm not her pet. I just drop by sometimes. Miss Satori is my master." _She glared at the intruder. _ "And who are you to question me? For that matter what are you? You've only got one tail..."_

The calico blinked at her, then started washing his face. _"You're awfully possessive for someone who just drops by sometimes."  
_  
Orin growled. _"You're awfully familiar for a newcomer."_

"Ah there you are." Both the cats turned to see Reimu walking towards them with a box in hand. "I got some of that strange mochi that's all the rage in the outside world, so I need your powers."

_"Tch," _the calico's ears twitched. _ "As you command." _ Reimu plopped down on the back porch and the cat flew quite gracefully over to her lap.

Orin's curiosity was piqued. She hopped onto the porch and found a good sunning spot there. _ "So... you talk big but you seem to be at Reimu's beck and call. Not very cat like of you is it?"  
_  
_"Well that's because I'm not a real cat,"_ he replied. Orin cocked her head at him in confusion. What was he saying?  
_  
"Eh? You can talk to cats?"_ Reimu peered down at the calico.

_"No she can talk to catlike things." _ To Orin's surprise the cat on Reimu's lap morphed into one of the yin yang orbs Reimu used as options.

Reimu looked at it. "Oh. So now only I can hear you. Weird."

With another poof the orb transformed back into a cat. _ "Currently she's using my abilities in order to eat sweets and not get fat. You youkai should challenge her more often so I don't have to waste my time on such matters."_

Orin snickered as Reimu swatted the calico's ears before popping another mochi ball in her mouth. Then she stretched and curled up on the porch in the sunlight. _ "Sorry. I only go all out when something important's on the line bro."_

Orin stretched and purred as the calico sighed. Today had turned out to be far more interesting then she expected. She'd have to drop by the Hakurei shrine a little more often. After all as the best kassha in Gensoukyo, it was her duty to teach this cat who wasn't a cat how things were done around here.

But for now, she'd sleep in the sun until dinner.

* * *

_I had a couple of quick fics that I never got around to uploading just because "effort." I figured I should work at tossing those up now that my actual writing time has been cut into._


	20. All In

Sidown partner and I'll tell you the story. Don't feel like sitting? Alright, that's okay. I'll stay right here.

You see them there black marks on the table? The ones that look like they were hands burned into the wood itself? Well they are partner. If you stare real close you can see the lines in the hands and fingers. And those hand prints come from the devil herself.

What? Don't believe me? Well let me tell you how it all began...

T'was a gambler that went by the name Marisa Kirisame. Gal used to be in Mima's band in General Lee's army, back when that meant something. Well after the War between the States she found herself without a home, and with no money to boot, so she headed out west. Tried a bit of cattle herding, and a bit of cattle rustling, and a fair bit of banditry, but that didn't suit her mind.

So she took up life as a gambler, and she was a damn sight better gambler then she was a bandit. Not because she was bad at shooting mind you. Just that Lady Luck seemed to take a fancy to her. She always had the right cards at the right time, and not always 'cause of cheating neither.

'Course Lady Luck wasn't the only lady who'd she'd caught the eye of. Add to that a whole list of fancy marks she'd taken for all they were worth, and she ended up a girl with a whole lotta enemies.

But the biggest trouble she had was with with the '98 gang. See, she'd ran with them for a bit before going her separate ways, and they always thought that her bailing out on them was kinda backstabing the gang and the memory of old General Mima. When she started making more money gambling then they did robbing people? Well they got real fired up. She'd had to run from them more then once, and she'd had a couple of shootouts as well.

Then one day she heard that Marshal Reimu had put the whole lot of them six feet under, somewhere 'round Tombstone. Marisa figured that was as good a cause to start celebrating as any, so she rode on out to her favorite bar to celebrate proper. Just so happens to be this bar here. The Hanged Doll

Now you might ask why the Hanged Doll was her favorite? Well the answer for that was plain simple. Marisa might have caught the eye of many a lady, but her eye had only been caught by one. Alice Margatroid, with hair the color of gold, eyes as blue as the sky, and wit as barbed as a injun arrow. The only dame to catch Marisa cheating at cards, but that's another story.

So Marisa rides into town, hops off her horse, and sits herself down at the bar. "Hey! A round for the house on my tab."

Fair headed Alice just gave the gambler a look. "You don't got a tab here Marisa. You owe me too much money for that."

Marisa just laughed at that 'course. What kinda hot-shot gambler would she be if she paid her bar tab on time? So she just pulled out a deck of cards. "What say you and me wager on the tab. Double or nothing?"

Now I see you looking at me funny, wondering how the devil gets into this story. Well you see, there's actually two devils at work here. And the first one came walking through the doors right then.

You see Marshal Reimu had planted a number of the '98 gang in boot hill, but there was one ornery cuss she didn't put down. That ultimate sadist, Yuka Kanazuki. I see your eyes a widenin'. Yep, she was one of the '98 gang before she became the terror of the West.

Right then she'd just escaped that brutal ambush that'd killed the rest of the gang. And what should she see next but that gal Marisa, flirting with the barkeep without a care in the world. It made her a might bit angry it did. So she yelled out Marisa's name and reached for her six shooter.

Marisa shot out of her chair like a dart, reaching for her own Colt as she fell to the ground. Both of them blazed away with all their might, guns thunderin' fast as they could fan the hammer.

Well Marisa punched two bullets into Yuka, but as you know that wasn't enough to put down that monster. Yuka just jumped on her ride and headed out of town fast as she could. Started her little campaign against the Army. But that's another story.

As for the that devil's shots? Well she didn't manage to tag Marisa at all. But dear, sweet, Alice? She lay behind the bar, her pretty blue dress slowly turnin' red.

The other patrons finally woke outta their stupor and ran to get ol' doc Eirin. And the doc did her best to patch up young Alice. But with a bullet like that there tweren't much the sawbones could do, sides from easing the girls pain.

In the end doc Eirin had done all she could. She said her apologies and headed home. It was just Marisa and the bargirls left around. The girls tried to get Marisa to go to bed, but the gambler just ignored them. She sat at Alice's side and drank.

She sat there drinkin' until the church bell started tolling midnight. Now maybe it was the time of night, or maybe it was the whiskey, but something started rattling around in Marisa's head. And she shouted out, "Damn it all! I don't care if it's God or the Devil, but I'll bargain with any man who can save this woman's life!"

At first it seemed like nothing happened. The bell just kept ringing, but after the last stroke of midnight the door swung open, and a tall man walked in.

He was dressed up like one of them "Eastern Cowboys." All fine suit and elegant hat. He had no gun, but he was sportin' a silver headed cane, and his boots were far too fine for anything but riding trains. But his eyes smoldered red, and his swagger was the match of any cowpoke.

"Bar's closed, partner," Marisa said to the man.

The man just tipped his hat. "Pardon me ma'am, but I believe I was invited here. By you in fact. I heard you got business with me, and I'm happy to listen to your offer."

"You sayin you're the devil?" Marisa asked.

The devil smiled. "You know I am, Marisa Kirisame." And the whole town felt their soul a 'quaking at the devil's proclamation.

But Marisa ain't the type to scare easy, no sir. She looked the devil straight in the eye. "Well ain't I lucky. I do got business with you."

"I'm listening."

"I wanna make a bet. My soul for her life. Poker. Five hundred chips sounds 'bout right."

The devil laughed at her. "Gambling? I think I just about got your soul wrapped up already Ms Kirisame. If you wanted to make a deal that'd be fine, but a wager? Why should I let you bet something that's almost mine to begin with?"

"Ain't yours yet devil." The gambler sneered. "Seems to me you're trying to back down. Always knew you were a snake, but I didn't know you were yellow bellied too."

A fire broke out in the devils eyes and he let out a eerie hiss. "Alright gambler, you said your piece. I'll match your bet, but when you lose your last chip I'll be taking _both _your souls"

Marisa nodded and sat down at this table. She showed the devil the deck then began to shuffle, her hands movin' almost to fast to see. "I reckon I'm the house now, so we play with jokers here. Red joker's high."

The devil snorted, and two plumes of smoke rose from his nostrils. Then sat down across from the gambler. "Sound's fair to me. Let's start the dealing."

Marisa dealt out the cards, then the game began.

Now you might think that with those two people at the table there'd be a whole lotta cheatin. But Marisa knew the devil'd see through her cheats, and the devil didn't wanna have to deal with some fancy pants lawyer like Webster poppin up again and stealing his prize. So it was a clean game all the way through.

Marisa's first hand was a pair of aces. She was sure it was a sign lady luck was with her, but when her hand hit the table the devil only smiled.

"Aces are mighty fine, but you only got 2. That won't beat my three Jacks."

Marisa's heart sank as the devil pulled in his chips. "You may have been blessed by Lady Luck Ms. Kirisame, but she's always smiled on me the most."

It looked like Marisa and Alice were done fer sure, but Marisa just straightened her hat and dealt again.

As the night went on she pulled out all her tricks. Every bluff, fake tell and read she knew. But the devil knew he had the upper hand, so she just ended up losing and losing. Finally she ended up with only half her chips left, staring at a five, six, seven, nine and king.

Now you're never supposed to draw into an inside straight, but Marisa was losing bad. She needed some way to get Lady Luck's attention back, and this might be the way to do it. She tossed the King and drew. And as luck would have it the Joker found its way into her hand. One might say it twas because the Joker loves to put the more powerful in their place. Either way Marisa knew it was time to play hard.

"All in," she said.

The devil smiled, figuring he'd finally won those souls. "Call. Two pair."

Marisa tipped her hat and laughed in the devils face. "Straight."

Now the devil grew mighty angry at the loss. But he was just back to start. He'd just have to keep winning in the long run is all.

Marisa there now, she knew she couldn't go the long haul. So when she picked up an ace and a pair she started betting like a wild woman. But the devil matched her, raise for raise. She'd bet all the chips she'd won back when they finally called and redealt.

Still it looked like Lady Luck was with her still. She picked up an ace and a Jack of hearts. Now she had two pair, with aces high. And Marisa pounced like a rattler. "All in."

The devil looked at the gambler with his fiery eyes. He thought long and hard about his move, but in the end he simply said, "Call."

Marisa's heart was ready to burst. She grabbed her whiskey, took a big swallow, (perhaps the last she'd ever get mind you) then put her cards on the table. "Two pair, aces and eights."

The devil whistled. "Dead mans hand. How peculiar." The devils cards hit the table. "I got it too."

Marisa couldn't believe her eyes. The hands were matched, except for one tiny detail. The devil had the Jack of Spades.

"High card decides. And I do believe spades beats hearts Ms Kirisame." The devil said while reaching his greedy hands for the pile of chips.

Now Marisa's gut had pretty much dropped out from her and started running away, but as the devil's hands fell on those chips an idea flashed through her head like lightning. "Nope."

The devil looked up at Marisa as she started to grin as wide as the Pecos. "What do you mean?"

"Hearts are high here. House rules."

The devil sat shocked for a moment. Then he let off a powerful screech, 'cause he knew he'd been beat. He slammed his firey hands into the table, leaving them marks that you see right there, then he grabbed Marisa by the neck. "You win today little gambler, but hear this! I get to set the house rules for everywhere else. And that's the last game you'll win, so long as you walk the earth!"

Then the devil was gone.

Marisa almost thought she'd been dreamin' the whole thing when a voice came from where sweet Alice had been lying. "What time is it? And why's my gambling table smoking?"

There standing and looking mighty confused was Alice. But all that was left of the killing wound was the stains on her dress and a bit of a scar. The devil had been forced to keep his wager.

Marisa of course just answered the questions with a mighty kiss.

What happened after? Well, with the devil after her, Marisa done gave up gambling and settled down here. But still, ever since that day hearts have beat spades at the Hanged Doll. 

* * *

There was a long silence. Finally Tewi said the woman, "So that's why I won the hand. Now could ya put your gun down?"

Reisen thought for a moment. "Nope."

There was a polite cough then the sound of a pistol being cocked. "Excuse me miss, but you really should put the gun down." Reisen turned to find Alice pointing a derringer at her head. "I understand you're riled by this liar, but we try to keep things civilized in this establishment."

Reisen decided to slowly lower her pistol. "No troubles ma'am. I just plan to take my money and leave."

Alice nodded. "Of course." She turned and pointed the gun at Tewi as she began sneaking off. "And you can put that money back before leaving yourself. And make it permanent like! I told you not to give that spiel to any more travelers."

Tewi nodded frantically before tossing the money on the table and hurrying out. Reisen took her time collecting the cash, then nodded politely to Alice as she left.

When the two were gone Alice holstered the little gun. "Sunny, Luna, get back to serving drinks. Just cause the customers are distracted doesn't mean you don't have to work!"

The bar began bustling again as the girls returned to their work and the customers returned to their drinking and gambling. A couple moments later a broad hatted figure stepped into the room then moseyed on up to Alice. "Looks like I missed a good scrap, from the way that little varmint Tewi was running."

Alice shrugged. "Wasn't anything. Just a bit of a game."

Marisa gave a look over her shoulder towards the exit. "Bit of a game eh? It's been a while since I had a game like that."

Alice frowned "You aren't going anywhere 'partner.' Not while you still owe me money!"

"Hrm... Then how about a game." Marisa pulled out a deck. "Double or nothing. Jokers, hearts high." 

* * *

_Marisa never won a game again. But then, she found she could live with losing._


	21. Jealousy and Loneliness

_A quicker piece then usual. I'm working on some new things, but they're still unfinished._

* * *

Marin hated the cold.

The darkness was bad, but she'd gotten used to the darkness. There really wasn't much around her to see anyway. It would be nice to have light, but she could find her way around by keeping a hand on the wall and moving slowly.

The cold however didn't fade away. It didn't even settle into a single form of misery. Sometimes it was damp and cold. Other times it was just freezing. Usually it was both on different parts of her body. It changed as she moved through the cave complex. Part of her body would dry, and then she'd step in a pool or water would drop on her from above.

But the worst was when she had to collapse and rest. Half her body froze against the rocks, while the other was chilled by the cavern's air. The only reason she was able to sleep at all was pure exhaustion. Soon her body would recover enough to start complaining again, and she'd awaken, still tired, hungry and sore. And cold. Always cold.

She didn't know how long it had been since she'd fallen into the caves. She knew it had been at least three days, because she'd had to go find water. That was the only reason she'd left the site of the cave in. She knew that moving would make it harder for her family to find her, but it wouldn't help if she died before they could get to her. So she'd started walking. And once she'd found water she'd been so lost she just kept walking. Walking and searching for a way out.

She knew her family had to be worried sick about her. And it was all her fault too. They'd told her not to go playing around the base of youkai mountain, but she didn't listen. She'd wandered off to go catch fish, and fallen into a sinkhole for her pains.

Fish. What she would do for a nice fish now. Her stomach had been empty for so long it felt like it had shriveled up.

Marin focused on the hunger. It was better then remembering how much she missed her family.

She choked back a sob and kept moving. Step after step in the darkness and the cold.

Finally her legs couldn't hold out anymore. She allowed herself to collapse to the freezing hard ground. She wanted to pull herself upright, to sit, but she knew by now it would only make it harder to get up later. Especially since the flickering in her eyes told her she was probably going to fall asleep soon.

Then Marin heard the voice.

It had to have been a voice. Water didn't sound like that, right? Her mind frantically tried to force itself awake despite the crushing fatigue. She stared ahead and tried to hone all her senses, and she heard, ever so faintly, someone saying "...all the time."

She had heard a voice! And the flickering was real. There was light! Firelight!

Marin tried to stand but her legs gave out. She whimpered as she hit the floor again, then she started to crawl. It hurt, but the light was growing brighter. The cold was fading!

She half crawled half collapsed around the tunnel's final bend. Lights stabbed into her eyes from all over, blinding her with their power. She heard a gasp from the voice, the wonderful voice.

And then her body could no longer take it and she collapsed into unconsciousness. 

* * *

Marin felt strange as she awoke. Her body was sore, but less then normal. Her eyes were filled with more light than the fading lights of dreams.

And she was warm.

She slowly opened her eyes to find herself on a futon. She had to blink a few times to adjust her eyes to the light, but as her vision began to return she saw she was in a shack, with a warm fire blazing away in the center.

"Oh, you're awake."

Marin groggily turned towards the voice. A short woman Marin didn't recognize was staring down at her with an inquisitive expression. Her clothes were a little weird, and her hair was blond, but she might be an outsider. An outsider with... pointed ears?

The woman must have seen Marin's reasoning before her addled mind could put it all together. "Oh. Huh. Yes I am a youkai, but no I'm not going to eat someone like you. I'm not the that kind of youkai."

Marin thought she heard some bitterness in the woman's voice, but she wasn't thinking well. She did believe the youkai's explanation though. After all, why would a youkai nurse her back to health if it was going to eat her?

"Can you sit up?" the youkai asked. "I have some soup if you can eat."

"I... I think I can eat," Marin said. There was a wave of dizziness as she sat up but she forced herself to stay upright.

"Hmph." The youkai woman gave her another once over, then sighed and grabbed a bowl from the table. "I don't think you should be eating anything solid just yet. And I don't have anything that goes with soup anyway, so you'll just have to make do."

Marin didn't care about the extras. It was food. She grabbed the bowl and spoon the woman offered and immediately dug in. It didn't have much of a smell, and whatever was in it was mostly covered up by miso, but after so long without it was wonderful. The warmth of the soup spread through her body, taking away some of her pains and making her feel light and airy.

She'd made it through half the bowl before she remembered the youkai woman was staring at her. She gulped down another mouthful and said, "Thank you very much miss...?"

"Parsee. Mizuhashi Parsee," the woman said flatly. "And you are?"

"My name is Marin, of Gensoukyo village," Marin replied.

Parsee raised an eyebrow for a moment, then she frowned. "So you're that old?" she muttered to herself. Then the woman shrugged and gazed down at the bowl of soup. "Well, it looks like you're enjoying the food."

Marin swallowed uneasily. Had she done something wrong? "Um, yes. It's good. I forgot when the last time I ate was."

Parsee sniffed dismissively and looked away for a moment. But her disinterested look returned quickly. "Well you should finish it, then get back to sleep. You don't want to strain your body."

Marin opened her mouth to protest, but she had to admit she did feel weaker then normal. Instead she asked, "Um, so, can you get word back to the village that I'm alright? My family is probably really really worried about me, and I don't want to cause them any more trouble."

Parsee looked blankly at her for a moment, before returning to a sour frown. "It seems you and your family are really close, aren't you?" Before she could reply the youkai's expression softened. "Well, your family will know where you are. I promise."

"Thank you again Miss Mizuhashi." Marin finished the soup then laid down as Parsee took the bowl. "You seem like a really good youkai."

Parsee looked surprised again, then muttered something. But Marin was already falling back into the warm embrace of sleep.

* * *

When Marin awoke again, the shack was empty.

The realization hit her like a bucket of ice water. She immediately sat up, her fatigue mostly gone. She looked around, but Parsee was nowhere to be seen. There was nothing but the slowly cooling embers of the fire.

Maybe the youkai woman had only gone outside for a bit? Marin immediately hopped off the bed and headed out the door. She didn't want to be alone right now.

The chilly air of the outside hit her as she opened the door of the shack. Marin gaped at the panorama that opened before her.

She was in a massive cave. Scattered ghost fires brought light to the area, but the ceiling was still shrouded in darkness. Water pools were scattered about, and there was a small stream running under a massive bridge that was in horrible repair.

Beneath that bridge a solitary figure sat, looking up at the ruin.

Marin felt a little weak from relief as she moved towards the figure. Sure enough it turned out to be Parsee, staring up at the bridge with her usual sour frown. Marin was a little hesitant to bother Parsee given her expression. Still, no matter how strange the youkai woman was, it was better then being alone again.

"Hello Miss Parsee!" she called out as she approached.

Parsee looked up at her, then quickly turned away. "Hello."

Marin blinked at the dismissal but carried on. "Um, so did you speak with my family? Are they doing well?"

Parsee heaved out a huge sigh. After a moment she said, "They know where you are." Parsee looked up at the bridge for a bit before continuing. "I'll tell you everything after you wash up. You can use the stream. It's clean."

"Uh, okay." She probably did need to clean herself off a bit. She had to be pretty grimy from wandering around the caves. She walked over to the stream and splashed some of the water on her face, shivering at how cold it was.

She rubbed her face vigorously to get the dirt off, then tried to get a reflection in the stream to see any spots she'd missed. She frowned when she saw the state of her hair. Then she froze.

Where her eyes were supposed to be there were only two dark holes.

Marin screamed and pushed herself away from the stream. She scrambled backwards frantically until she hit Parsee then turned and clung to the woman's leg. "Y-youkai! There's a youkai in the water with my face!"

Parsee simply sighed and rested a hand on her head. "It must be nice to be that blissfully ignorant." Marin looked up at her in confusion.

Parsee sighed again, then bit her lip for a few moments. "Marin, the youkai you saw in the water was you."

Marin blinked at the woman. "W~what? You mean, it's some trick of the water?"

"No," Parsee said finally looking her straight in the eyes. "You are a youkai. You fell in that sinkhole over two hundred years ago. You died in these caves and were reborn as a youkai, like me."

Marin began to shiver. Two hundred years? She had been a youkai for two hundred years? "No. No it can't be!" She pushed herself away from Parsee. "You're lying! You're trying to trick me! I'm going to go home to mommy and daddy and big brother and big sister and you aren't going to stop me!"

Parsee gave a surprised cry as Marin hopped up and dashed away. She splashed through the chill stream, past the old rotting bridge pillars, towards the cavern walls.

She expected Parsee to chase after her, but there was no sound from behind. Apparently the youkai didn't care enough to chase after her. Fine!

As she got closer to the cliffs she began to slow. Not just because she was out of breath, but because she couldn't see a good way up. It wasn't sheer rock, but Marin had no skill at climbing. Maybe there was an easier way up? A trail perhaps? She began looking around.

She'd been looking for a good three minutes without success when a low rumble echoed out from behind her. Marin jumped and whirled. There, hanging from the ceiling, was a massive spider with eyes the size of a fist.

Marin screamed. She turned to run only to find herself facing the cliff side. The was no escape.

There was a massive crash as the spider dropped to the ground. Marin sank to the floor whimpering, trying to sink into the earth itself. The spider waved its horrific legs and mandibles with a roar that sounded like a rockslide. Marin's blood turned to ice. She was going to die alone here.

"She can't understand you Yamame. She still thinks she's human."

Parsee floated down from the sky next to the giant spider. The spider turned towards her, curled up into a ball. And then suddenly there was a girl in a puffy dress standing there. "Oh really? My bad. I didn't realize they were still tossing youkai down here." The girl looked towards her and waved. "Sorry about the scare. I didn't know you couldn't speak to transformed youkai." Marin just stared in shock.

Yamame gave a weak chuckle and took a step back. "Well I was gonna offer you a lift up if you couldn't fly, but I don't think you'd be up for it today." Marin shook her head weakly. She didn't understand anything anymore.

Parsee glared at the transformed girl. "Probably for the best you didn't. She's a loneliness youkai."

"Oh, really?" Yamame turned towards Marin with a look of regret. "Well, you'll learn to fly soon enough I guess. And if you want to talk you can come find me." The girl smiled again. "Anyway good to meet you. And good seeing you again Parsee. Later!"

Yamame rose into the air gracefully, then sped off over the lip of the cliff. Parsee gave the earth spider one final disdainful glance, then walked over to Marin and silently held out her hand.

After a few minutes Marin shakily took Parsee's hand and let the woman pull her to her feet. Parsee turned and began walking back towards where she'd been sitting before.

Marin followed. Where else could she go?

After a bit Parsee began speaking. "That was an earth spider. I've told her before she should stick to her human form, but she still insists on using her real form in the deeper caves." Parsee started chewing on her thumb. "It's annoying. She has a human form that's cuter then mine and she doesn't even use it."

"And of course she's the one who gets to swing around wherever she wants. She can just wander off to the ancient city and party with the oni, or even wander around the surface. It must be nice," the woman snarled.

They walked in silence for a little more before Marin finally got enough together to ask, "So... what am I?"

Parsee seemed to twitch slightly. Then she replied, "You're a youkai formed from loneliness. Your existence is tied to your desire to escape the caves and return home."

To a home that didn't exist.

"So, um, Miss Mizuhashi, what are you?" Marin asked meekly.

Parsee stopped for a moment. "I'm a Hashihime. Or something like that." Parsee started walking back towards the spot where she looked at the bridge. "I feed off jealousy."

Marin nodded slowly. That explained a lot of things.

The two walked back to Parsee's spot and sat down in silence. After a few minutes Marin went back to the cold stream and finished washing her face. Then she returned to sit by Parsee's side.

Finally Parsee spoke up. "You'd do better back at the house. And I bet it's warmer there."

Marin shook her head. "I want to stay here."

"Tch." Parsee looked away. "You know if you hang around people you'll never get your full power."

"I don't want power," Marin replied. She hugged her knees.

"Well whatever." Parsee sighed. "You can hang around if you want. Just don't expect me to look after you. I've got a bridge to watch over."

They sat in silence for a bit longer before Marin asked, "Do you enjoy that?"

Parsee shook her head. "I hate it. But it's what I am."

Marin looked down at her feet. What Parsee was...

What she was...

What was she? A youkai, forgotten in the past. Not even a proper ghost.

She wanted to eat her mother's food again. The dishes that were always just a little too spicy for her. She wanted to feel her father's rough stubble as he hugged her again. She wanted to hear her sister complaining that she'd stolen the last mochi cake. She wanted to hear her brother whining about girls again.

She realized she was sobbing, her lungs hiccuping and gasping. She wiped her eyes and tears black as tar smeared over her hands.

A handkerchief was pressed into her hands and she used it to wipe away the tears and blow her nose. The kerchief came away black and sticky, like it had been covered in oil. "Sorry I ruined your handkerchief."

"It's fine," Parsee said. The two were silent again for a moment. "You must have really been close with your family. You were really lucky."

Parsee stiffened as Marin moved over and hugged the woman. "Thank you Parsee."

"You know you're going to get weak if you hang off me too much," Parsee snapped. But she didn't push Marin away.

It was true. Marin felt a little weaker but she didn't care. She nuzzled closer to Parsee. The woman's words were cold, but Marin felt so warm beside her. "You've been trying to drive me away for my sake haven't you Miss Mizuhashi?"

"Hmph!" Marin giggled as the woman flushed and looked away. "I don't exactly enjoy company either you know. It's much better to be jealous at a distance."

Marin just closed her eyes and curled up on Parsee's lap. She was feeling tired again, with all the heat around her. It wasn't the same warmth as her family, but it was pleasant all the same.

She gave in to her feelings and went to sleep in Parsee's warm embrace.

* * *

Parsee watched the young girl's form slowly fade away as the youkai's existence dissipated. In the end all that remained was a small skull, the focus the creature had built herself around.

She picked up the skull and looked into the eye sockets. She'd warned the girl repeatedly, but it had come to nothing. Still the girl had made her choice willingly.

And Marin had seemed so happy.

Parsee hugged the skull to her chest. She smiled, the first real smile that had crossed her face in a long time. "I think I'm a little jealous."


	22. A youkai's Christmas Carol

The youkai adjusted her scarf. This winter was a little colder then normal. She was mostly resistant to the cold though, which was a good thing. Her home in the trees wasn't well insulated, and an open fire up there would be foolish.

She was a fairly weak youkai, not even rating an entry in Akyuu's minor works. The few people that bothered to call her anything at all called her Tokiko, and that was as close to a name as she'd gotten.

However, unlike most lesser youkai Tokiko was actually fairly smart. And she enjoyed reading. Fiction, nonfiction, and in any language. She especially liked works from the outside world, one of which she'd just acquired. It was short, mostly pictures, and covered some holiday she'd never heard of, but she was enjoying it none the less.

"Hey there."

Tokiko jumped into the air in surprise. She quickly whirled around to find that accursed black white magician standing in front of her. Even worse the woman had somehow snatched the book out of her hand! "'How the Grinch Stole Christmas,' eh? I've always liked mysteries. I'll borrow this."

"Wait! That's mine! Give it back this instant!" Tokiko was already desperately firing off bullets at the magician, but since her foe was running away, her normal tactic of summoning bullets behind the foe didn't work.

Not that she could have beaten that magician normally.

"Give it baaaaaack!" Tokiko cried, but to no avail. The human was gone in an instant. The book lost to her, probably forever.

She sighed miserably and headed back home. So much for her reading time. And she'd just gotten to when the Whos of Whoville were waking up too...

She sighed again as she entered her tiny cold house. She supposed she should be thankful that her clothes didn't get ripped this time.

Flopping down on her bed she looked over at the stacks of books and scrolls she'd managed to keep her hands on, but they didn't seem to hold the same interest right now. She wanted to finish THAT book. To see what the villagers would do about their festival. And how the Grinch would react to it.

The youkai tossed and turned for about an hour before giving up and heading out again. The day that had started out so nice had turned miserable.

She flew by the shopkeeper's place, but there was no sign he'd opened the door today, much less that the magician had come by with the book. Not that she'd be able to afford it if the man did have the book now. Shaking her head in despair she flew on. Past the Mansion with its swarms of maids alternating between cleaning and snowball fights. Past the village and its bright lights, the children playing just as carefree as the fairies.

Tokiko looked down at the masses of people and sighed yet again. A stray youkai like her had more in common with the Grinch then with the masses of Whoville anyway she supposed. She had no family to get together with and give presents to. No house big enough for a tree, and certainly no fireplace for a stocking. Definitely no money for a feast, and no song for her to sing.

She shrugged and wandered on. Perhaps it was best if she didn't know about this Christmas. Hopefully the witch wouldn't get interested and spread it about either. She didn't need the villagers starting up some holiday and rubbing her face in it.

"Oi! What are you doing here? No suicides today! I get enough of that from the outside world."

Tokiko blinked and found herself looking at a rather large pair of breasts. Moving her gaze upward she saw they were attached to a rather lazy looking shinigami. "Eh? What do you mean about suicide? I'm not planning to kill myself! I don't want to die at all!" Tokiko yelled at the death god. She thought it best to make that point clear quickly.

Komachi sat down. "Well good. Suicides are a pain. I have enough problems with winter settling in." She looked up at the youkai. "Still you have to be kinda messed up to accidentally stumble here. What's on your mind?"

Tokiko considered just flying away. After all she had her pride as a youkai. But she was tired, and the air here seemed a little warmer then home. So she sat down and said, "I was just thinking about a book I had. I was almost done, but then that stupid black white witch stole it."

Komachi laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh man. The boss is gonna chew that girl out so bad when she catches her again." Then she looked down at the small youkai again. "So what book was it? I've heard about a lot of good books while ferrying people over the river. Maybe I can tell you about it."

Tokiko considered for a moment. She hated spoilers, but then again she was almost done... "It was 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas.'"

Komachi blinked a few times at that, then leaned back. "Christmas huh? Never expected to hear a youkai talking about that." She shook her head. "Well I suppose a couple of outsiders had to have come in knowing about it. Still I don't expect it to become a big thing. At least not like it is in the outside world."

Tokiko frowned. "It's a big thing in the outside world? Then how come I've never heard about it before now? I read all the outside world books I can."

"Well that's an easy one to answer," Komachi said. "They make a huge fuss in it in the outside world. One or two months of advertising, Christmas songs and specials. You're supposed to find the true meaning of life, reunite with all your family and hook up for a romantic evening with your girlfriend all at the same time. And it's all supposed to turn out wonderfully."

"It's even weirder out here." Komachi shook her head. "I mean, at least the Christians have the religious holiday to go with it. And better music too, though they don't play that on the radio for some reason. Most Japanese people just get the hyped version."

"And in the end it never turns out perfect. There's always a present you didn't want, or a relative who can't come, or the guy you're interested in asks out some other girl. Or worse, you've lost a friend, or your job. And the fact that everyone's telling you you're supposed to be having some big happy event with everyone just makes everything seem worse," Komachi stopped her rant with a weak grin. "Sorry. Maybe a death god isn't the best person to ask about this."

"I'm a youkai, I probably shouldn't be asking," Tokiko pointed out. She sat and thought about the the shinigami's words. "So it's all a commercial thing then?"

Komachi paused and stared into the sky. "Well... not all."

Tokiko watched as the death god fiddled with her scythe for a bit. "About a century back we got pulled in to work overtime in Europe. They'd decided to have a huge war over there. Big mess. Everyone was pulling double shifts."

Komachi continued staring into the distance as she went on. "Anyway, the area I got sent to help with, they'd just started the fighting. There were still dead on the battlefield."

"It was cold and miserable. They were sleeping in trenches, and stringing barbed wire to cause their enemies as much trouble as possible. And the only reason the ground wasn't entirely mud was because it was mostly frozen."

"Yet that evening, they just put down their guns. They went out of their trenches and walked over to their enemies to talk and trade rations. They even sang carols together."

The shinigami shook her head. "It was so strange. That people who were killing each other barely a week before were willing to put that all aside, just because it was 'Christmas.'"

Tokiko sat and thought about it. The whole situation didn't seem to make any sense. But she could sense no deception in the shinigami's words. And there was no reason for the death god to lie to her.

"Anyway I better be getting back to work. It may be Christmas but I only get O-bon off," Komachi said while standing.

Then she froze in place as another voice swept over her. "Indeed. And since you aren't on vacation, you should have brought back another soul by now!"

Tokiko looked up to see a more slender woman floating above the two. She looked rather cross. Tokiko carefully backed away from the death god. Best not to be blamed for that.

Komachi took off. "Well hope that was helpful. Remember not to kill yourself okay! Gotta go."

The woman sighed then turned to Tokiko. "And you little youkai, you should be more careful with your life. Much like that ice fairy you are too quick to battle, and you sometimes wander too far from your home. You should temper your pride with reason."

Tokiko was a little annoyed being compared to a fairy, but she wasn't willing to press the issue. Anyone who a shinigami called took orders from was not one to argue with. And she could see the wisdom in not fighting too much. She simply nodded.

Shikieiki slowly smiled at that. "Ah, it's nice to have someone listen to me immediately instead of throwing a tantrum." She paused for a moment. "I'm curious though. What were you discussing with Komachi? Normally she doesn't look that thoughtful."

Tokiko blinked. "Well I asked her something about 'Christmas,' and she told me a story about it."

Shikieiki looked intrigued at that. "Hm... Christmas eh?" Shikieiki seemed lost in thought. "The best and the worst of holidays."

Tokiko hesitated, but she didn't have anything better to do. "Why do you say that?"

"Hm..." The yama looked at Tokiko. "How well do you understand humans little youkai?"

Tokiko considered the matter. "I... don't know. I've read a lot about humans, but I've never really gotten to know them personally."

"Ah, then you should know how similar and how different those stories are from the truth," Shikieiki said. The yama thought for a moment.

"Understand, humans have holidays to remind them of all the things they take for granted, and to remind them of all the things they're supposed to search for in life. Love, peace, joy and hope. It is a good thing to search for them every day," Shikieiki sighed. "But, well, humans are quick to get caught up in the details and forget the goals."

"But that makes the search all the more important," Shikieiki looked down at the youkai. "Does that give you some idea?"

Tokiko frowned. "I guess? I can understand getting caught up in things. But I think there's still something missing."

Shikieiki nodded. "There always is. As a youkai you aren't one for religion, so that explanation would be a waste. Still, perhaps I can give you a hint. If you want to learn more, you should go that way," Shikieiki said, pointing vaguely to the east.

"Thanks," Tokiko said as she hopped into the air. She fluttered off into the air and began traveling.

After a little bit though she found herself at the base of youkai mountain. "Hrm... I don't really want to fly up there," she muttered.

"Oh, but that's where you're meant to go."

Tokiko glanced up at the mountain skeptically. "Really? I don't want to have to explain myself to all the tengu patrols. It seems like way more trouble then it's worth."

"Don't worry. I'm... the ghost of Christmas present. No one will see you."

"Weird name," Tokiko muttered before beginning her flight up the mountain. About halfway to the top she realized she had no reason to just trust the voice, but it seemed to be working, so the youkai continued on.

Finally they reached the lake and the Moriya shrine. Tokiko frowned again. "Didn't the yama say that Christmas was a Christian holiday? Why are we at a shrine?"

"Ah, well Christmas has spread a lot. Let me show you."

Tokiko unconsciously moved around to the side of the shrine and peaked into the main room. While the outside was unchanged, here inside things were different. A evergreen treetop was in the corner, decorated with lights and glass orbs.

And around the kotatsu were all the members of that strange family. Suwako was happily pealing a persimmon, while Sanae was carefully checking an egg timer. Kanako was staring at the little tree in the corner with a frown.

Finally when Sanae turned over the egg timer the larger goddess spoke. "Hrm, always seems wrong. I mean why are we giving faith to some other religion?"

"Eh, does that mean you don't want Sanae's special Christmas cake then Kanako?" Suwako asked with a wide grin. "More for me then!"

"Ah! That's not what I meant at all froggy!" Kanako reached over and pulled the other goddesses hat over her eyes. "I just think it should be a better holiday! Say, one dedicated to us."

Sanae reached out with practiced ease to separate the two goddesses. "Now now. No fighting. And I wouldn't want this holiday to be one of your holidays. After all, this is the one day I have my family all to myself."

Kanako pulled her priestess into a hug followed soon after by Suwako. Tokiko smiled slightly and moved away from the window. "Hm... That's sweet."

Then she sighed. "Still I can't help but feel this is more like a human thing. I don't have family. And I don't have close friends. Oh well. I guess I learned something."

"Hm... Maybe not close friends yet. But you have a friend."

Koishi smiled at the bird youkai and handed her a small package. "Here."

Tokiko blinked at the Satori with the half opened eye. "Eh? But I didn't get you anything."

"That's not true. You let me play with you. I've always wanted to be a helpful ghost once." Koishi waved. "Merry Christmas Tokiko. Maybe we'll see each other again."

Tokiko waved, then blinked as the girl vanished again. She wondered how Koishi had managed to hide her presence while carrying a conversation. Then she wondered how she knew the girls name.

And there was a moment of shock as she began to wonder how she was going to get down without Koishi's stealth around her.

Fortunately the tengu weren't that interested in keeping people in. So while she got a few odd looks from the wolf tengu, they mostly just shooed her down. It helped that she was an animal youkai.

So as night began to fall, she made it down the mountain, and finally got back to her tiny home.

She opened the door and entered in. First she checked her books, and happily found they were all still present. Then she flopped down on her makeshift futon and lit an oil lamp.

Finally she took a good look at the package. It was in simple brown paper, tied with a very nice red ribbon. She'd have to save that for later. From it's shape and heft she could already tell it was a book.

She carefully opened the present, setting the ribbon aside, and looked at the leather bound volume. On the front it simply said, "_A Christmas Carol._"

Tokiko smiled. Then she started as an object gently flew in through the window.

She quickly snatched the object from the air before it could fall. To her surprise it was the book that the magician had stolen! She jumped up to the window, but there was no sign of the black white witch.

Tokiko closed the window and looked down and the small book. There was a slip of paper stuck between the pages. Opening it up, she found it marking the spot she'd been out when the book had been stolen.

On the paper was written:

_Thanks for letting me borrow this. Figured you'd want it back today, so I finished it quick. Have a good one._

Tokiko stared at the paper in shock for some time. Then she looked over the page, and began to read again.

She smiled as she reached the end. Perhaps a certain magician's heart had grown three sizes as well.

It wasn't much of a miracle. It wasn't even something so special that it couldn't have happened any other day. But perhaps the fact that it happened this day brought more meaning to it. Or perhaps it just made Tokiko more appreciative of it.

She put the book down carefully among all the others, then picked up the new book she'd gotten. As she did so she promised that next year she'd return the favor to her new friend.

Then she opened up the book and began to read.

_"Marlow was dead; to begin with."_


	23. A Small Request

Miho absently swept the leaves from the shrine grounds, watching as the wind blew them back in.

Honestly there was no way she could clean the grounds in this weather. There were going to be leaves, and no human could stop that. But that was really the only task she could perform for the shrine. The torii needed paint, and the bells should be polished, but tasks like those required money. And money was one thing this distant shrine didn't have.

Other things the shrine lacked were a priest, any worshippers, and an active deity. All it really had to its name were the rolls of a small farming community that had dried up and moved to a slightly larger village years ago. Miho had no idea why she bothered keeping the place running really.

Sighing, she returned to sweeping the leaves away. No use reminiscing on matters; best just to do her duties. Focusing on the leaves helped the day pass.

The piercing cry of a baby snapped her out of her reverie. Travelers? Or perhaps even supplicants? Miho wanted to rush out to greet them, but that would ruin the shrine's image. Instead she moved her sweeping closer to the entrance, watching the top of the stairs for the visitors. And her patience was soon rewarded.

A cloaked figure of a woman slowly ascended the stairs, the crying baby bundled in her arms. The dust on the hem of her cloak told a story of many miles traveled on foot. The sight of a poor woman carrying their child on the roads was hardly unprecedented, but the woman's gold hair and eyes told a different story. The woman was obviously a youkai.

Miho reached into her sleeves for ofuda, but there was honestly little she could do with her limited spiritual powers. She decided to wait and see what the woman wanted.

The youkai bowed properly before stepping into the shrine grounds, then approached Miho slowly. To her surprise the youkai woman bowed again, before holding the crying child out to her. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I have a need of a priest. This little one's family perished in a plague. They asked me to have her name recorded by a shrine for her. Would you perform this one request for me?"

Miho looked at the child. The little figure seemed healthy, if unhappy, and there were no signs of inhuman lineage. She hesitantly took a few steps closer and confirmed, the child seemed as human as any baby she'd seen.

Shrugging, she pointed towards the dusty offertory box. "Donate."

"Huh?" The youkai woman looked shocked at her statement. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said donate." Miho waved at the box again. "It's only proper to give something to the shrine that records a child's name, right?"

The youkai slowly smiled, then chuckled. "Yes that is true. I apologize for my foolishness." The youkai woman walked over the the box and pressed her hands together as best she could with the child in her arms before tossing in a bill.

Miho nodded, then moved towards the shrine's entrance. As she reached the doors she paused. "What's the kid's name?"

The youkai opened her mouth to answer, blinked, then tilted her head in thought. "... Kuroko. Her name is Kuroko."

"Right." Miho walked back into the shrine. It took her a little time to grind the ink, and a little longer to find the right scroll and write in the name, and then she finished off with a prayer for the souls of the other ujigami to watch over the child. There was probably more ritual she was forgetting, but she could fix that later. The important work was finished.

Exiting the shrine she was surprised to find the youkai was still there. The blonde youkai had even managed to calm the child in her arms. She'd expected the woman to run off with her donation box or something. It was empty of course, but youkai weren't likely to let something like that stop them from playing a prank. "It's done," she told the woman.

The youkai smiled. "Thank you."

Miho hesitated for a moment, then stated, "You know, you can't raise that kid. You're a youkai. She's a human."

The youkai's smile turned predatory, but there was still a friendly gleam in her eyes. "Oh? And are you going to try to take her from me?"

"No. That's not my place." Not to mention she had no chance of succeeding at it, Miho mentally added.

The youkai chuckled again. "You. What's your name?"

Miho hesitated. Giving a youkai your full name could be dangerous, but not telling the woman would be impolite. "Hakurei. I'm from the Hakurei family."

"And I am Yakumo. Yakumo Yukari." The youkai stood a little taller as she proclaimed her name. "Little Hakurei, I have visited over fifty shrines with this child, searching for someone who would perform the smallest of favors for a youkai. All of them have either turned me away or attacked me with no care for the child's life. You alone were willing to not only help a youkai, but speak up for the child without resorting to threats."

The youkai stepped forward and carefully held the baby out towards her. "I don't know why you've abandoned the ideal of purity, but you have compassion. Thus I will entrust this child to you."

It was a ridiculous offer. Miho barely could support herself here at this shrine. But she found herself accepting the tiny bundle anyway. "Thank you, I guess?"

The youkai pulled a fan out of her sleeve and opened it to conceal her face. "I think you'll be seeing me in the future, Miss Hakurei. I look forward to interesting things from you and your descendants." With that a strange opening appeared behind the youkai. The woman bowed then fell backwards through the gap before it sealed up and disappeared.

Miho blinked at the display, then looked down at the sleeping girl in her arms. It seemed she'd gained a new burden in addition to this dilapidated shrine. Still, she didn't feel any remorse. "Well then Kuroko. Let's see how much that youkai donated."

Hopefully the woman had been generous. After all, they'd be needing a lot more in the way of supplies.


End file.
